August 24, 2013: Life with Jack

Jack
We had an overnighter last night. And it wasn't an ordinary overnighter. Jack Halpenny spent the night. Jack is the brother of Brendon, Grant's best friend. Jack has autism.

The Halpenny family have been friends of our for years. Jack moments and stories are abundant. I love to hear them and even better; be a part of them. Last night I was treated first hand to a Jack Halpenny night. His first overnighter at a friend's house was at ours.

Jack is pure and sweet. The words that flow from his mouth may sound unfiltered to a new friend. But those who know this very special boy, know that his words are full of love and honesty. Jack shares his loving world to all those around him.

Knowing Jack, I cherish the posts Laurie shares with me and on FaceBook relating to her daily moments with her son. I have been encouraging her to start a blog to share these warm moments with others.

Understanding autism and the daily life of the family surrounding the autistic child would be a great benefit to our society. Laurie can attest that life can be very challenging, but the benefits and beauty of raising Jack Halpenny in a world that only he knows and understands are also immense. We can all learn from Jack.

I am going to offer my favorite Jack Halpenny moments from last night. And then I am going to encourage Laurie to keep sharing her wonderful stories with the rest of us. Maybe a guest blogger for me on occasion and then a spin-off? What say you, Laurie Halpenny? Jack has a lot to teach us all. Life with Jack.


  • Within an hour of arriving, Jack and I started talking food. Jack lit up and exclaimed, "I need to call my mom!". Soon I hear him leaving a message "Mom, can you please bring over my book, Favorite Brand Name Best-Loved Recipes? Mrs. Lane wants to write down some recipes." Jack proceeded to tell me about all of the meals he wanted to try (or better said, his mom to try) including roasted lamb in plum sauce. Thank-you, Brian and Laurie, for bringing the book. It was exceptional!
  • Jack played on the tramp by himself on many occasions and then wandered around the house with me asking about every flower and plant. When asking about the side ornamental grass, he asked "Is it native?". I told him I thought so. His answer "Native is always the best. Talk to my dad about getting rid of the crabgrass at our house."
  • When I asked where he wanted to sleep, Jack promptly pointed to my bed. I answered that I should probably sleep there as the cat may get upset. Jack then said he would then take Stefano's bed. Stefano could just sleep on the couch. For the record, Jack climbed in bed with me later for a while. Not a bad idea actually.
  • As I ironed clothes, Jack felt the soft warm shirt material and smiled. "Fresh out of the oven!"
  • Then Jack looked at my big tub in my master bathroom. "Can you please leave now so I can take a hot bubble bath?" (I talked him into going into the hot tub)
  • Just now (as I type this with Jack sitting by me on my bed watching his I-Pad) a classic random Jack comment came out of his mouth.
    • Jack: "So when did you and Scott break up?"
    • Me: "About five years ago."
    • Jack: "I hear he's married now."
    • <pause by Jack>
    • Jack: "Jealous?"
    • Me: "No. I think his wife is nice."
    • Jack: "Yeah."
    • And then Jack quietly went on to watching Hercules. Conversation over.
Jack Halpenny is invited over to my house anytime. He is the sweetest companion, forever at my side, and a breath of fresh air in our house. And, Brendon, no worries...it's okay for Jack to run around the house in his underwear. I'm glad he feels comfortable. XOXOX Jack Halpenny.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Own Your Shit

Image
  A few weeks ago my previously favorite blog subject (otherwise known as my middle son, Ben) called me for advice. The reason isn't significant now, but his approach to the conversation carried weight with me. "Mom, I need your advice on something. And before we even go there, what I am going to tell you is completely my fault. I get all the life lessons around it. What I want is just advice. So can we just put that all aside and stick to advice on my situation?" I respected Ben's ask and we had a productive conversation. He sought out advice from others and ultimately came to a good conclusion. Owning his shit and life lessons acknowledged early on,  I am pretty confident Ben won't be in the same situation again. I have always felt that a top responsibility in parenting is to teach our kids to think critically on their own. A specific skill that falls squarely in this category and high on my list is the ability to own your shit. To accept blame when due. To know
Read more

July 28, 2020: The New Normal

Image
"Are we back to normal again?" I heard my father-in-law, Larry (aka Old Guy), asking Garrett this as I laid in bed.  Garrett was performing his morning ritual of coffee bean grinding before brewing our morning specialty coffee. This was after he had read and stretched, all while I was still thinking about waking up. Through the crack in the door, I could see Larry sitting, feet up, in his favorite sofa spot. Jake, my step-son, was noisily filling his large water jug for a day in the sun at his summer job. This clanging of ice at 7 am along with the permeating coffee aroma and Larry's shuffling have been my morning wake-up routine of recent times. With my delivered cup of hot java, I hear the sounds of the morning; the garage door opening with Garrett taking Jake to work and the percolating of Larry's own coffee of choice, Folgers, in his Mister Coffee machine. His own pot to drink through the morning while enjoying his latest book. Yes, Larry, I think we are
Read more