I Am So Thankful

“Get your hands on the cart,” Sandi ordered James and Ian as they left Wal-Mart. We recognized all the dangers in a parking lot and Sandi watched the boys like a hawk whenever they walked to and from the car. She made them hold the cart that she pushed and she watched all around them, like every good mom, to ensure their safety. Engrossed in this effort, Sandi didn’t see or sense the auto that came up on her blind side. The vehicle hit her as they walked in the marked pedestrian zone at the entrance, knocking her down, but not causing any serious injury. The driver immediately stopped and got out to check on Sandi, but didn’t expect anything like James.

Filled with outrage, James stamped his foot, pointed his finger at the driver and shouted, “Shame on you!” His words and moral indignation echoed through the parking lot. “You hit poor Mommy!” he yelled. Shoppers stopped to witness this 9-year-old boy passionately berate an adult driver. “You should be ashamed of yourself!” The driver’s face flushed in embarrassment as James kept up his tirade. “Shame on you! Shame on you! You should be ashamed!” continued James, stamping his foot and jabbing his finger at the driver as he shouted. Even as she lay crumpled on the asphalt, Sandi began to feel sorry for the driver as James shouted his righteous indignation.

When I tell people of James and his autism, many view it as a tragedy and they empathize as if he were hopelessly disabled. I don’t view his condition as an insurmountable catastrophe, though. I will always be his father and I will always be proud of him. In spite of the challenges, and they are many, I am so thankful that James is as he is.

Bill Bartlett lives in Belton with his family.