Jonathan's Story
Viewing comments for Chapter 15 "Intermission"Our fostering journey with a severely disabled boy
32 total reviews
Comment from Lisasview
Oh my goodness Debbie,
I thought when i first started reading this today that all was well...but you ended it so cleverly making the reader to look for more!!!
Lisa
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2024
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Oh my goodness Debbie,
I thought when i first started reading this today that all was well...but you ended it so cleverly making the reader to look for more!!!
Lisa
Comment Written 21-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2024
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Thank you Lisa for reading and reviewing. There is a big part of his story yet to come ... hoping you will continue to enjoy.
Wendy
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I am quite sure i will....
Finally wrote a couple of things myself...
Comment from Jim Wile
Oh, my, Wendy. Quite a sense of foreboding you've established here. This was a wonderful interlude chapter--thoughtful, honest emotion, genuine concern for Jonathan's future, yet with deep unease about it.
I loved your observations about human nature at the ending. They were so right on the money and with such good advice to always look at where people's priorities seem to lie to determine how they will act.
This was so beautifully written too with phrases like the following:
"They would be fledgelings, leaving the nest, and they would learn to fly, even to soar."
You have us riding the same rollercoaster of emotion along with you with this riveting story. - Jim
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2024
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Oh, my, Wendy. Quite a sense of foreboding you've established here. This was a wonderful interlude chapter--thoughtful, honest emotion, genuine concern for Jonathan's future, yet with deep unease about it.
I loved your observations about human nature at the ending. They were so right on the money and with such good advice to always look at where people's priorities seem to lie to determine how they will act.
This was so beautifully written too with phrases like the following:
"They would be fledgelings, leaving the nest, and they would learn to fly, even to soar."
You have us riding the same rollercoaster of emotion along with you with this riveting story. - Jim
Comment Written 21-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2024
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Thank you very much Jim! I am so pleased you are continuing on this journey with me, and that you enjoy what you read. Very encouraging.
Wendy
Comment from LateBloomer
Hi Wendy, Jonathan's story continues, and your love and devotion for him still shines through. Of special note:
Many times I had become impatient, embarrassed, or frustrated, and I admit this with regret and remorse. Equally, I was far from a perfect mother to my other three.
(Wendy, I think that you are being a little too hard on yourself. I've had my days that I feel exactly as you did, but being a mother, father, or parent doesn't come with a handbook. All people are unique, and so are their circumstances. We all do the best that we can with what we have to work with.)
Also:
Another lesson I quickly learned was that "experts" are not necessarily attuned to what is best for each individual - they have simply achieved well in an academic area, which may or may not be relevant to everyday life.
(W, this is so true. My friend's husband is currently suffering from Alzheimer's, and because he has become violent, she had to put him into an "Alzheimer's" nursing facility. What they don't know about life and caring for people is a lot. They basically don't know how to care for a senior citizen, never mind an Alzheimer's patient. I'll stop here or else my review will be 3 pages long.)
I'm looking forward to reading Act III, but I have a feeling that it's going to be bumpy. A story of love, devotion, and courage. Well done.
Xo. Margaret
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2024
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Hi Wendy, Jonathan's story continues, and your love and devotion for him still shines through. Of special note:
Many times I had become impatient, embarrassed, or frustrated, and I admit this with regret and remorse. Equally, I was far from a perfect mother to my other three.
(Wendy, I think that you are being a little too hard on yourself. I've had my days that I feel exactly as you did, but being a mother, father, or parent doesn't come with a handbook. All people are unique, and so are their circumstances. We all do the best that we can with what we have to work with.)
Also:
Another lesson I quickly learned was that "experts" are not necessarily attuned to what is best for each individual - they have simply achieved well in an academic area, which may or may not be relevant to everyday life.
(W, this is so true. My friend's husband is currently suffering from Alzheimer's, and because he has become violent, she had to put him into an "Alzheimer's" nursing facility. What they don't know about life and caring for people is a lot. They basically don't know how to care for a senior citizen, never mind an Alzheimer's patient. I'll stop here or else my review will be 3 pages long.)
I'm looking forward to reading Act III, but I have a feeling that it's going to be bumpy. A story of love, devotion, and courage. Well done.
Xo. Margaret
Comment Written 21-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2024
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Thank you very much Margaret. Yes, we do the best we can at the time, and it's easy to be wiser after the event. I feel for seniors with dementia or Alzheimer's; it is such a cruel disease and you are right, it's bad ennough to be in a care facility anyway where one is likely to be treated patronisingly and without respect, but pt have Alzheimers as well. So hard for your friend too, to feel helpless to do anything about "the system". Yes, Act Three is a very bumpy ride. The system again ....
Thankyou very much for a caring and thoughtful review.
Wendy
Comment from T B Botts
Hello Wendy,
thanks so much for sharing this outstanding chapter in the story of Jonathon. Unfortunately, no matter how much we wish it could be like a fairy tale and everything would go on happily ever after, life isn't like that. I wish you would give yourself a break. From time to time you mention that you wish you had done this or that or you feel that you failed him somehow. I would think nothing could be further from the truth. Can you imagine the existence Jonathon would have had if you hadn't heeded the call of God to intervene in his life and show him the love that you and your family did? For ten years that young man enjoyed a life that few have ever experienced, whether or not they had special needs. You are a bright light in a dark world gal, and I'm pleased to know you. I never really thought about the emotional impact of having Jonathon separated from you. In so many ways he was your family, so of course the separation is going to be painful. I'm bracing myself for the next part of your story. Thank you for having the courage to share it.
Have a blessed day.
Tom
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2024
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Hello Wendy,
thanks so much for sharing this outstanding chapter in the story of Jonathon. Unfortunately, no matter how much we wish it could be like a fairy tale and everything would go on happily ever after, life isn't like that. I wish you would give yourself a break. From time to time you mention that you wish you had done this or that or you feel that you failed him somehow. I would think nothing could be further from the truth. Can you imagine the existence Jonathon would have had if you hadn't heeded the call of God to intervene in his life and show him the love that you and your family did? For ten years that young man enjoyed a life that few have ever experienced, whether or not they had special needs. You are a bright light in a dark world gal, and I'm pleased to know you. I never really thought about the emotional impact of having Jonathon separated from you. In so many ways he was your family, so of course the separation is going to be painful. I'm bracing myself for the next part of your story. Thank you for having the courage to share it.
Have a blessed day.
Tom
Comment Written 20-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 21-Feb-2024
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Thank you Tom for this beautiful six-star review (that's how much your support and encouragement means to me!) I appreciate and value the six stars you offered for this chapter of his story, as well as your very kind words. I am glad to see your genuine interest and care.
Many thanks,
Wendy
Comment from lyenochka
Thank you for sharing your reflections in this chapter. I like your analogy of the different acts of a play for how you covered Jonathon's life. I am so glad that you and your family loved and nurtured him for those ten years. It's a beautiful testimony to your loving nature and your use of the gifts God gave you to lavish on others.
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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Thank you for sharing your reflections in this chapter. I like your analogy of the different acts of a play for how you covered Jonathon's life. I am so glad that you and your family loved and nurtured him for those ten years. It's a beautiful testimony to your loving nature and your use of the gifts God gave you to lavish on others.
Comment Written 20-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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Thank you very much Helen for this lovely review. Yes, those ten years were hard, but satisfying .... and now we are heading towards thirty-three years!
Wendy
Comment from Sarah Tummey
Hi, Wendy. Thanks for sharing the story so far. You probably know this, but the title of this chapter is missing an i.
Take a breath now, and I'll look forward to hearing what happens in Act 3.
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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Hi, Wendy. Thanks for sharing the story so far. You probably know this, but the title of this chapter is missing an i.
Take a breath now, and I'll look forward to hearing what happens in Act 3.
Comment Written 20-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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Thank you Sarah. Can you believe I missed that missing "i", despite the number of times I reviewed and reread my writing? Thank you so much!! I appreciate your careful attention, as well as your encouragement.
Wendy
Comment from barbara.wilkey
Those who sit and govern in ivory towers far too often have little empathy for those whose lives they regulate. (I see this in education, especially in early elementary education, at least that is the area I'm most familiar with. Those who make decisions on how to educate young children don't understand how young children work. I feel it in our government, too.)
Thank you for sharing this with us. I could feel your emotion as I read.
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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Those who sit and govern in ivory towers far too often have little empathy for those whose lives they regulate. (I see this in education, especially in early elementary education, at least that is the area I'm most familiar with. Those who make decisions on how to educate young children don't understand how young children work. I feel it in our government, too.)
Thank you for sharing this with us. I could feel your emotion as I read.
Comment Written 20-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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Thank you very much Barbara, and yes, you are right, it is very evident in the field of education. Those at the top, in most fields, have lost touch with the reality of life for others. I appreciate your thoughtful words and insights.
Wendy
Comment from Tom Horonzy
Good luck. I cannot realize the challenges you faced during your ten years of service. Your rewards will be multiplied in the hereafter, and I suspect leaving go was a challenge of a different magnitude. Better you than I. I lack the patience required to do as you have.
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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Good luck. I cannot realize the challenges you faced during your ten years of service. Your rewards will be multiplied in the hereafter, and I suspect leaving go was a challenge of a different magnitude. Better you than I. I lack the patience required to do as you have.
Comment Written 20-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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Yes, Tom, it was a difficult period of adjustment, for sure. Perhaps I never really let go ... Thanks so much for your positiv and caring review.
Wendy
Comment from patcelaw
I really enjoyed listening to your story. I agree with you about what experts decide is best for you. Many of those experts do not know what you go through day by day when you are in the process of raising your own children are even fostering other children. My husband used to say an expert, the ex is has been, and a spurt is a drip under pressure. Patricia .
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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I really enjoyed listening to your story. I agree with you about what experts decide is best for you. Many of those experts do not know what you go through day by day when you are in the process of raising your own children are even fostering other children. My husband used to say an expert, the ex is has been, and a spurt is a drip under pressure. Patricia .
Comment Written 20-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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I like your husband's saying - very clever amd very true. Yes, they don't understand, if they have never walked that path themselves. Thank you Patricia, for another lovely review.
Wendy
Comment from Rachelle Allen
I so wish we were neighbors. You would be such a gem to know on a face-to-face level!!
Knowing Jonathan provided you with a vast education, didn't it? You went into it with such goodness and that wonderful sense of making a difference in the world. I admire you so much for that. But the way you handled the adversities that were included in that bundle is what makes my admiration and respect for you blossom exponentially. It never dawns on you for even the briefest of moments that there's a problem that can't be fixed. And you're relentless in your pursuit of it, which I admire, as well.
I'm very much looking forward to Act Three of this riveting production known as Wendy's Life and Indomitable Spirit. Off to the concession stand I go!!
Oh! I've had this thought a couple times now: I don't think it's necessary any more to modify "Sheryl" with "Jonathan's birth mother."
Also, I'm SOOOO with you when it comes to being wary of people who toot their own horns. Automatic red flag in my book. My conclusion on that topic is that there are only two kinds of people among us: "braggers" and "doers," and in the ven diagram of life, they never intersect. I find this the case with people who thump their religiosity, too. I'm always VERRRRRRRRY wary and skeptical of anyone who tells me early on about that facet of their life. It's actually no different from being a good writer, right? SHOWING is so much more valuable than TELLING.
Super great "Intermission," Wendy. You have such a knack for drawing me in from the very first sentence and making me feel so disappointed whenever the chapter finishes.
I'm sorry I don't have any more sixes left, but I'll promote this important work, instead.
xoxo
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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I so wish we were neighbors. You would be such a gem to know on a face-to-face level!!
Knowing Jonathan provided you with a vast education, didn't it? You went into it with such goodness and that wonderful sense of making a difference in the world. I admire you so much for that. But the way you handled the adversities that were included in that bundle is what makes my admiration and respect for you blossom exponentially. It never dawns on you for even the briefest of moments that there's a problem that can't be fixed. And you're relentless in your pursuit of it, which I admire, as well.
I'm very much looking forward to Act Three of this riveting production known as Wendy's Life and Indomitable Spirit. Off to the concession stand I go!!
Oh! I've had this thought a couple times now: I don't think it's necessary any more to modify "Sheryl" with "Jonathan's birth mother."
Also, I'm SOOOO with you when it comes to being wary of people who toot their own horns. Automatic red flag in my book. My conclusion on that topic is that there are only two kinds of people among us: "braggers" and "doers," and in the ven diagram of life, they never intersect. I find this the case with people who thump their religiosity, too. I'm always VERRRRRRRRY wary and skeptical of anyone who tells me early on about that facet of their life. It's actually no different from being a good writer, right? SHOWING is so much more valuable than TELLING.
Super great "Intermission," Wendy. You have such a knack for drawing me in from the very first sentence and making me feel so disappointed whenever the chapter finishes.
I'm sorry I don't have any more sixes left, but I'll promote this important work, instead.
xoxo
Comment Written 20-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 20-Feb-2024
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Thank you for this outstanding review (it's worth six stars to me!!). You are right re adding "birth mother". Someone who hadn't read the beginning and entered several chapters in said I should have explained who she was, (so I added it) but I agree, everyone knows by now, and if not ... well too bad really. If it is to be in a book, the reader won't need reminding time and again. You are right too: "show" should always supercede "tell", and that does apply to all aspects of life, including writing. Many thanks for the thought you put into reviewing - you are both kind and wise!!
With appreciation,
Wendy
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My pleasure. xo