Sunday, December 18, 2011

"Welcome To Holland". More than just a poem...

A few days ago a dear friend of mine told me about a poem called "Welcome To Holland" written by Emily Perl Kingsly.  She said it was a great piece for parents of special needs children.  It was so much more
than that.  You see, the poem uses metaphors to talk about what it's like to find yourself suddenly in the world of parenting a special needs child.  It talks about the confusion, the shock, and the grief but most importantly it reminds the reader/listener of the beauty.  The hidden blessings that come with the challenges.

She couldn't have told me about this poem at any better time as I am now facing the harsh reality that my youngest is most likely affected by Autism as well while I am still in the middle of trying to adjust to the fact my oldest has been diagnosed with it.  I was sharing with her how scared I was and how overwhelmed I felt and that I felt so alone and that is when she told me about this poem.  I honestly reccommend this to any parent going through this journey in life.  Especially the ones just starting out. 

Doesn't have to be Autism.  It can be anything that causes your life to take a sudden turn when you least expected it to or even when you were simply least prepared for it to whether you saw it coming or not.  I even reccommend this poem to teens and adults who find themselves suddenly disabled and having to face a very different future than what they once dreamed of.  I have been in that situation and am on that road so I know the pain, fear, and confusion that comes with it as well.

So without further delay, come check out this poem by listening to this video and remember to not only never give up, but also to stop to smell the roses.  Often. :)

4 comments:

  1. Wow. Perspective.
    (By the way, that beautiful piano piece is one I love to play, it's called River Flows in You by Yiruma. Very soothing.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks for the feedback and the information :) glad you liked it :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. thanks :) feel free to pass it on if you want :)

    ReplyDelete