In between places

            So another Halloween has come and gone.  It was awesome. No one was sick. The kids' costumes were just the right amount of "pooky".  Feisty Pants was the cutest werewolf ever. (Don't tell her.  It will break her heart.  She knows she was absolutely terrifying.)  Hippie Pants was the correct combination of cute Little Dead Riding Hood and cartoony gross out.  (Her hanging eyeball was a huge hit with Feisty Pants)  I would love it if we were those awesome kind of parents who turn their kid's wheelchair into construction equipment or movie house props.  But, alas, we are completely happy if no one throws up in their own candy bag. The girls once went trick or treating just as they were coming down with Swine Flu.  We realized something was wrong,  when they both came home, took off their costumes, and cried from exhaustion.  (The oldest was in college at the time.)   All in all, this one was a blissful breeze.  (Only one crying jag- because Hippie Pants didn't get her make up on fast enough for her sister.)

              And so now, we are in one those in between times.  One step away from back to school and Halloween, one step before Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It's weird, being the parent of a disabled or sick child.  You find yourself finding comfort in the strangest places.  The quiet hum of a NICU where everything is hushed, including the lights.  An ER at three am, when your family is one of only a few there.  Waiting rooms of doctors and therapists first thing or last moment of their day.  Hospitals at midnight, when its just you, a few nurses, and a security guard looking for the best vending machine.  You find comfort there, because there is not much else you can do except, slow down, hold your child to try reassure yourself and them, and wait for the crisis to pass.

               Old folk tales say magic exists in the in between places.  I think there something to that idea.  And this time of year, between the back to school pumpkin spice fueled  fall and the rush to cookies and Santa, is definitely an in between place.  Its getting dark earlier.   It's cooler and quieter.   The world seems to be slowing down just a bit.   Not a ton of stuff to do this time of year, except rake up the leaves and wait for the next round of activity.   So, for all those out there in a hurry and stressed out for whatever reason, especially, for anyone with a sick or disabled kid, I wish you an in-between time.  Do what you can when you need to, and then rock them to sleep.  And simply listen to world grind along without you for a few minutes.  Even in the midst of chaos, those in between moments will sustain you.