Once Upon A Miracle...

I love to read. Possibly too much. So much so that I have to make rules for myself. Because if I'm left to my own devices I read all night long. A good book can captivate me in such a way that dishes and housework and grad school and showers no longer exist. I often dream about having my own Pemberly-esque Library in my home. Where I can sip tea and read in the firelight...And talk in a proper British accent and wear a petticoat. Okay, it's starting to get real.

But I don't just read novels. I love Self Help and non-fiction and cook books ( remind me to tell you a funny story about me and cookbooks sometime).

So with this background knowledge - I want to tell you about my son Tyler who is Dyslexic.

The story of Tyler's dyslexia diagnosis is a long one...and one I have a feeling I will be writing about more some other day. But for now suffice it to say that it has been a difficult experience to watch my son fall further and further behind in school. It has been difficult to watch my child that once loved school cry and dread going each day - unable to fall asleep worrying. After years of interventions and testing and research and tears (by both of us) we found him right where we began.

"The testing shows that its as if the last three years he hasn't even attended school...he reads below a Kindergarten level."

Three years. And nothing stuck. I kept visualizing all those hours in tutoring and reading groups and Kumon and Hooked on Phonics and it was if I was watching them swirl down the drain.

The last class I took in Grad school was a Master level research class and during this class we picked a subject and spent the entire semester researching it and ultimately writing our findings. Those four months were encouraging somedays and heart breaking in others. There is no "cure" for dyslexia, I'd read. Followed by, "Dyslexic individuals are often of above average intelligence and can have areas of extraordinary talent and proficiency." It was a bootcamp for me as him mom - showing me what he would ultimately need.

A few weeks ago we took a leap. A huge financial, two hours a day in the car, two hours a day in the waiting room, this will be our summer - kind of leap of faith. Hoping for the best. Hoping for Tyler.

And today something magical happened. Something miraculous to this mothers heart. My son, my dyslexic son Tyler read to me. Words that a month ago might have well been ancient Egyptian to him. He read. He read. He read. My mouth fell open and I started screaming like I had won the lottery - because it felt like we did. And then I started to cry. It was amazing.

"Uhhh, mom, I will give you a few minutes to yourself. So..you uh, can get yourself together." Tyler said looking at me like this time I had officially gone nuts.

"Tyler, you are READING!" I shouted as I ran to call Shawn, "READINGGGGGGG!"

I can not wait to see where he goes the rest of this summer. I am so grateful for this awesome program that is giving Tyler ( and his mom) this gift. I go back again and again to the line

Without tasting the bitter we'd have never known the sweet.

Watching Ethan learn to read was great. But today, seeing Tyler finally do something I worried he may never- seeing his pride and shock as he read the words he'd never understood before- now that was absolutely beautiful.