The lemon may be the most deceptive of fruits.
If you were transported from another world and offered a lemon, what would you see? Oval in shape, a glowing, downright cheerful shade of yellow, the lemon appears to exude happiness and good feelings. You take a sniff and breathe in its fresh, tangy-sweet aroma. Imagine then, anticipating joy and good feelings, you might take a large bite of that juicy lemon….
And then…ah then… you might have a different experience altogether. An apple?? PLEASE! The fruit eaten by Adam and Eve was no doubt a lemon. The lemon seems so filled with promise, and yet is so unexpectedly sour. Did you feel your mouth muscles tighten at the idea of biting into that lemon? Did the saliva start to flow? The lemon inspires a Pavlovian response in people, and with good reason.
And yet…
And yet, lemons are so much more. For all of their saliva-increasing, pucker-inducing traits, lemons contain so many important and wonderful qualities. Lemons are a natural antiseptic. Lemon water is provides all kinds of disease prevention qualities, from preventing the flu to cleansing the liver. Lemons are an excellent source of Vitamin C, potassium, and help with calcium absorption. Lemons provide excellent antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. And lemons, when added to any number of recipes, greatly enhance the flavor of foods from bland and boring to fresh and interesting.
Lemons feel fresh, like spring.
Maybe J-man is like a lemon. This thing… whatever it is that plagues my heart… has its sour pieces. And right now my eyes are watering with its sting. But I read blogs and hear these stories about how it is going to be OK. That kiddos like J-man are amazing children who have so much to that is special to offer the world. Someday (hopefully soon) it will be easy for me to see his gifts.
2 comments:
It can be a long road, but you'll get there. I equated finding out about Will's disorder and other "quirks" with the 7 steps of grieving. Sounds a bit harsh but after I read them it about summed up how I felt for the last two years. Its a process and let's be honest we are grieving what we thought our child's childhood would be like compared to reality.
The good news, time does make the most difference. In J-man's progress and your perception of what and who J-man is and who he's going to be.
I have high hopes for both of our kids!
I echo what Will's mom just said. I'm walking through this too (don't even have an official diagnosis, but suspect it is forthcoming). Hang in! I think our kids are going to do better than we possibly ever suspected.
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