I don’t think I can ever describe the feeling of someone doing something kind for my family.
It’s always the little things that feel so big.
There are some people in this world, who are just so incredibly compassionate and lovely. When things are difficult, I always hold onto these moments.
I remember taking Jack into a florist when he was about seven. I used to avoid shops such as these like the plague, but on this occasion, I had no choice but to take Jack in with me. Whilst I was trying to pick out some flowers, Jack was trying to grab them. I was hanging onto his arm, trying to stop him from knocking buckets of water all over the floor. The lady in the shop came out with a beautiful, long-stemmed flower and gave it to Jack. He immediately stopped trying to grab the flowers and sat and looked at his own one that he had been given. He carried it all the way home. He didn’t break one petal on it, and he kept it in his room even when it was all dried out. Perhaps that lady was just desperately trying to save her shop, but I was so touched by her kindness and how much it meant to Jack.
When Jack was small, I used to walk him from the car to his school. As we walked, he would look at all the numbers on the doors. Something he still does to this day! There was one in particular, that had a number on the wall next to the pavement. The plaque with the number on, also had a robin on it. Jack used to love running his finger over the number. One day as we walked past, there was a little carrier bag hanging from the front gate, which said “for the little boy, who likes my door number”. Inside was a little calculator, pad and pen. It was the beginning of a long friendship between me and the lovely man who lived there – Jim. A true gentleman in every sense of the word. He lived alone. His wife had sadly passed away some time ago. He had seen Jack admiring the plaque outside, and from then on, he would leave him little notes and gifts. We would also write letters to one another about how Jack and my other son were doing even years after Jack had stopped attending the school near Jim’s house.
I really miss Jim. He died a few years ago. He was a real light in our lives, and I was always so thankful for how much attention he showed to Jack.
Once, we took Jack to a local park. After we had been there a while, some boys turned up who were about 12 years old. We instantly became anxious because the boys had a big bike each. Jack does not understand the ways of the world, and thinks that bikes and scooters left on the ground are free to use. An idea that has got us in trouble on a number of occasions before! My husband and I tried to keep Jack at the other end of the park, hoping he wouldn’t notice. Eventually he did, of course. The moment we were distracted he took his opportunity to hop on one and start riding it around the park. I apologised to the boys and said I would get it back and that he didn’t understand. To my surprise the young boy replied, “That’s ok, he can ride it”. I told him he was extremely kind and that I would get it back anyway in case he damaged it. (Jack's dismount is unique in that he loves to jump off it, whilst he simultaneously launches it at a fence). The boy was not bothered at all and let Jack have a good ride round before we returned it. Whoever that boy was, you really made Jack’s day.
There have been many other times too. The people in timberland who have given Jack a few of their badges or keyrings before because Jack loves the logo, Fort Amehurst who gave him a private tour because he wouldn’t be able to manage the public ones, but absolutely loves tunnels. The lady who let Jack hold her newborn baby’s hand, even though our hearts were in our mouth. The staff at Deal castle who let Jack go around their tunnels in his wellies when they were flooded so as not to disappoint him. The staff in the Aquarium at our local garden centre, who gave him a pot of fish food to feed the Koi. The people who have given him their calculator because Jack loves to collect them. The man who gave him a slush puppy at soft play after the tills had shut so he didn’t get upset. The staff at Ninja Warriors who always turn the music down when he turns up, and our saints for neighbours who never complain about how much noise he makes and always show us compassion and understanding.
Those acts of kindness you have shown have made our life easier and showed us what wonderful people there are in the world.
So, thank you to all the people mentioned and all the people who are not. To the people who love Jack, to the people who get him, to the people who say hello to him. The people who let Jack take pictures of their dog or steal a chip off their plate. The people who tell us we can do this, who ask how he is and who remember we are there. The people who take Harry out so he can do the ‘normal stuff’. The people who have held doors open for us, bent the rules for us, made us laugh or even just given us a smile. We are eternally grateful. X