G-d is watching over you.

      They say that there are melachim (angels), watching over our children. I am convinced that G-d himself watches over the ones with special needs. I remember one morning when Sruly was about two and a half and I was about seven or eight months pregnant. I was still at a stage where I was completely denying and even fighting the "possibility" that our son may have autism. (This was before we had gone to get a second opinion, which still took me a long time to accept.) I was cleaning up our front porch while keeping only half an eye on Sruly since the gate was up. I was daydreaming a little, enjoying the weather while organizing our home and did not hear Sruly open the gate. I had no idea he knew how to do that. These kids can pull a Houdini move when you least expect it.

     To this day he can still baffle me with the knowledge that he has but doesn't let on. Perhaps it is easier for him to sometimes just play dumb, or maybe he is just socially unsure of how to share with us what he has learned. Maybe he is simply content just watching, learning and quietly taking it all in at a comfortable pace and doesn't feel the need like the rest of us do to share when we have learned something new. I don't know, but when he does surprise me I usually feel like an idiot for not believing in him, all while celebrating the new skill he has just mastered. He is going to be in trouble when he learns to communicate a little bit better. I am going to bombard him with questions as to what exactly is going on in that smart little brain of his! But for now things will remain a mystery...just for now.

      Before I continue I just want to explain that sometimes kids on the spectrum view the sidewalk, the neighbor's front lawn and the street as one big running / play area that is open to all without boundaries or dangers. Thankfully, as they get older and become more aware and in touch with their surroundings, they start to realize that the sidewalk has a clear beginning and end. Front lawns and back yards prove to be just that, and the street clearly becomes a place where cars and not people frequent.... well usually! But when Sruly was younger he was a bolter and a runner.

      Well, a few seconds after he opened the gate I turned around and quickly realized that he was gone. I ran to the front door, saw that he wasn't on the first floor and yelled for my husband. I scanned our quiet street and saw Sruly running at full speed ahead down our street towards a very busy street. My husband, understanding that the frantic pitch in my voice meant something serious, came flying down the stairs and out the door. In mid stride I pointed and yelled, "Sruly!" I knew there was no way I could reach him in time and wasn't so sure my husband would either. He jumped over the side of our porch and ran as fast as he could down the street after Sruly, but we quickly realized we needed a miracle. Apparently my husband wasn't the only one who was trying to make the hundred meter dash. A 220 pound Italian contractor had seen the events unfolding, heard my yell, put two and two together and decided to join the chase. At that very moment a car came quickly around the corner of our street, drove right up to Sruly and stopped. The driver jumped out of his car and grabbed Sruly. He picked him up and the two of them slowly began walking up our street back to our house and it was then that my husband caught up to them. Another stride or two and Sruly would have found himself in the middle of a very busy street and the rest I don't even want to think about about. My husband, Mr Levin and Sruly reached our porch where I was still standing, completely numb. I was still registering what had happened.

      Mr Levin looked at us and said, "You know, I never drive down this street at this time, I just happened to be late for work."

Tears came to my eyes as I reached out to hold Sruly.

      Thank you G-d.