My oldest child has autism and for a lot of his life, I wondered if he’d ever be able to live on his own. The day I found the heart at the library, I had just come from moving him into his first ever apartment! I was feeling equal parts excited for him and frozen with worry so I went to the Ada Community Library, a place that has calmed me down and welcomed me since I was a little girl. As I was browsing the shelves, feeling overwhelmed by a lot of different emotions and fairly distracted, a spot of orange caught my eye and I found the heart. What a gentle gift on such a nerve-wracking day! Something about it reminds me so much of my son when he was small: the sweetness of the tiny flowers, the joyfulness of the colors, the patience and tender care clearly taken by the person who made it and left it on the shelf. I will treasure it always; it’s hanging up in my kitchen right now! Every time I look at it I think of my son’s courage and perseverance, and how life is so often filled with tiny kindnesses just when we most need them most. Thank you so much to whomever sewed this perfect heart. <3
