I’m so sorry they “had” to die… But they gave themselves to a very honorable cause: MY SON cooked dinner with me last night!!! (Oh, and it wasn’t a grilled cheese sandwich or a pizza!)

I am so proud of him… 

Those of you who’ve followed this blog for a while may remember that he has an autism diagnosis… And since he’s turned 15, he’s been on a remarkable tear of learning life skills.

At his own initiative.

Last night, he and I cooked pasta, enhanced a marinara, chopped Belgian endive (…um, no, not for the pasta…), and sauteed shrimp.

He learned what paprika tastes like, and what al dente feels like. Oh, and to wait until the water boils to put the salt in.

But guess what the totally unexpected BONUS was?

When we got home from shopping, I was exhausted from a long, busy day. I was dreading heating up the bottled sauce and waiting on the spaghetti to be done… I just wanted to go lie down.

But when I realized, after a few minutes, that he was actually going to stay there in the kitchen with me and do whatever I asked to help, I became energized! We had fun, the food was excellent, and I felt so good when we were done that I even happily washed up.

We really never know where the next quiet, unassuming gift of love is going to come from, do we?

May we all enjoy such gifts, just when we need them!