A post from the hubby:

I watched a little precious special needs child come out of her therapy session room. She was smiling and running to her mother. Behind that little girl walked out my daughter, an SLP in training. She approached the mother and had a debrief of their session. And as I saw this my heart stopped for a minute. Her dreams are coming true.

Back in May our daughter moved 600 miles to complete her graduate degree and begin her training as an SLP. For years she was that sister who sat in the therapy offices while her little brother went in for his sessions. Then she would hear what the therapist had to say about the session with our monkey.

Wow, where did the time go.

I got to get a tour of her working space. The rooms meant for play, learning, and the session. She told me about her clients, the toys she uses, and the different spaces in the offices. I also got to meet her boss and I could see that she is in good hands.

And as I stood there watching her move with confidence in that space, I felt something settle inside me. This is not just a job for her. This is a life she has been preparing for since she was a little girl sitting in those therapy waiting rooms, listening to every word the therapists said about her brother. She grew up in the world of special needs. She grew up watching her brother fight for every milestone. She grew up seeing the patience, the creativity, and the love that this work requires. And now she is giving that same love to other families.

I walked out of that building with a full heart. Our daughter is becoming the kind of professional that changes lives. She is stepping into a calling shaped by her brother, shaped by our family, shaped by every challenge and every victory we have lived together. Monkey’s journey did not just impact us.

It inspired her.

It guided her.

It gave her purpose.