i was at her house today...to do laundry. Got a load going and she wanted me to come into her room. She was watching some thing on her TV about bald eagles. Suddenly she got up and rummaged in one of her storage bins. Out came this "tablet". She handed it to me and said....can you write my name? i was riveted...and there was was like the opening music to some incredible movie in my head. Yes i can.. and i slowly wrote E M R I E....speaking out each mark as i made it....E...line down at the top, line across in the middle, line across at the bottom, line across. M line down, touching the top, line down sideways, from the bottom, line up sideways then line down. and on. We stared. Looked at how her name begins and ends with E. She took the tablet and erased. asked for the "pen" and i looked back at the thing about the bald eagle. Seconds later, she handed me the tablet and Lo and Behold, oh so much Lo and Behold there it was. A circle with a smile and 2 dots for eyes. 2 arms and 2 legs. a PERSON! We documented the moment with a pic as we always do. She wanted to look at the pic. Nodded. in a subdued tone i said....this is an excellent person, Em. Beauty Full drawing. and we left it at that. She wanted to go swim so we did that a while. She'd brought the tablet out with her. After a while she got out of the pool, put on the towel and picked up the tablet.
this is her second drawing. she says it's a King Cricket. difficult to see here but an image of so so many intricate lines, curves circle dots....
There has been mostly unspoken concern. She has had ZERO interest in letters, in drawing, in anything at all aside from the Inktense Pencils and the paint brush. and with those, she has only made vertical or horizontal scribbles....Fast scribbles. After her 4th birthday...which has great meaning to her...i asked her if she wanted to make an E on one of those watercolored scribble pages and she looked off and away and i just went ahead .....line down and then put a dot out 3 times. Line to the dot, line to the dot, line to the dot. I made another line down....the first dot and she took the pencil and said she would make the other two which she did and then made 3 wobbly lines across to connect them. I exclaimed happily...and E a BeautyFull E. she wanted to take a pic of it. i did and we looked at it. I said.....lets do it again and she said NO. I asked....why don't you like making letters and she very perfunctorily said....it's not my fav. got up and walked away.
(typepad disappeared this pic. when i get finished writing here, i'll go find it again and put it here, but then, it will be at the top probably. )
and i can't not connect more dots. She was across the table from me the other day when i read on my phone an email from a most loved person saying her husband was very suddenly ill and it was possible he could die. I was reading silently and tears sprang to my eyes...just as silently. She said....what's wrong? and i told her. I told her that my loved friend had written me this and i read it ...she wanted to see the email. I said...if you learn your letters you will be able to read. you will be able to write letters to tell people things. At Alyssia's today, i read her (Alyssia) the most recent email . I didn't think Emrie was paying attention but she said....Let me see....the words. and there was a pic and she said....this is him? and nodded. looking long before she handed the phone back. the man was sitting, pen in hand, making a drawing.
i am not writing all this here to say that Emrie is exceptional in any way. Emrie is Emrie. and because of circumstance, the first being how Alyssia parents her and second because i have finally learned at 70 some years to LEAVE THINGS ALONE, i am feeling like i am being Present as a human being becomes distinctly Who They Are....without interference...in freedom to Be. I am so very very grateful to experience this. And i'll go back now to see if i can add the pic
