House Ear Family Fun Camp!

This weekend was SUCH A BLESSING for the Sessions' family!!!! We were able to attend the Family Fun Camp put on by House Ear Institute because of a generous scholarship that they awarded us. This camp is for families who have a member who is deaf or hard of hearing! It was such a wonderful experience for us. This was the first event of this sort that we have ever attended and I am so glad we did. We arrived on Friday evening and left Sunday afternoon after wonderful workshops for mommy, camp activities for the kids, meeting of new people and wonderful opportunities found!

It was so relaxing to allow my children to enjoy their weekend in such a safe environment and watching Ecrissa in this place was soul lifting. I did not have to translate for her, I did not have to explain her behaviors, I did not have to watch her every move for safety reasons and she was able to communicate with just about everyone! It was awesome! I learned a ton in the workshops and from talking with other parents, not to mention how wonderful it was to have adult conversations while the kids were playing with the camp counselors!

The kids made new friends, learned about the wildlife, played sports, played in an ambulance, got prizes, did arts and crafts and just had a wonderful time with wonderful camp counselors who used sign language and spoken language.


This camp was such an encouragement to me. I had a rough week last week (as you could tell from the lack of a blog update). I was emotional, felt out of place here in the states and wondered when I could go back to Haiti, worried and worried and worried about finances, fretted about my decisions regarding Ecrissa's education, couldn't sleep as my brain worked and worked and worked all night long on all of the stresses in my life.

This last weekend did not solve my problems, but it gave me a break. I was surrounded by families who truly understand my role as a parent to these two children. I have not had the opportunity to spend time with families and children who live in the world of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was such a wonderful release of tension to be able to express myself with these families who TRULY know how I'm feeling and what I am going through, feeling and worrying about. I was able to really think through and talk through my thoughts and feelings with people who have experience with this and who actually listened---All while my kids were safely playing with other kids and counselors who wanted to play with them!!!!!!! What a treat!
Life hasn't lost all of it's stresses by spending 2 nights in the middle of nowhere in a cabin, but I feel rejuvenated to face it all one day, one step, one minute at a time!
Thank you Father for providing this to me and my children!




Comments

Manda said…
Cheri-
I'm SO glad you had this time away!! I'm not available tomorrow or Wed. but maybe we could all go to the park later in the week?
Let me know!
Manda
June 8, 2009 at 8:02 PM
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