Interruption

I interrupt this regularly scheduled post

to share my

"I Am Sam"-moment.

 

If you are familiar with the movie,

"I Am Sam"

please forgive the synopsis...

 

"I Am Sam" is a movie that was released in 2001 and stars Sean Penn, Michelle Pheiffer and Dakota Fanning.

 

Sean Penn's character, Sam, is a developmentally delayed man who fathers a little girl named, Lucy, and raises her, while working at Starbucks.  Through a series of events, the child is placed in foster care, sighting him as "unfit".  However the little girl, leaves the home she's placed in, and walks home to be with her dad. 

 

At one point in the movie, Sam and a couple of his friends, who are also developmentally delayed, are at Sam's apartment for a movie night.  There is a knock on the door, and one of them opens the door, with the security chain in place, and you hear this conversation...

"Are you guys alright?" inquires a womans voice.

"MOM, it's video night!" replies the very exasperated young man.

"Oh, okay -- I'll just wait downstairs".

And she leaves.

Did I mention that the young man has Down syndrome?

 

When we saw this movie for the first time, Kyle was just little!  I told Jon, "Oh no, that's going to be me!" 

 

Today, I had my "I Am Sam" moment.

 

We were invited by Miss Carol -- one of the aides at Kyle's school -- to meet and have French fries at Red Robin, with Kyle's friend, Jordan.  Mr. R (Russell Rogers) was going to be there too.

 

We arrived at Red Robin and I was summarily dismissed! 

I was invited for fries! 

 Carol said, "Oh, you don't have to stay.  I'll call you when we're finished.  Kyle and Jordan will want to visit and spend some time.  Russell and I will be here."   

And with that, she pushed Jordan into Red Robin, with Kyle merrily walking along beside them. 

I was calling to cry on someone's shoulder and see if anyone wanted to have lunch with me.....I looked up, and they were sitting on the patio.  Kyle kept looking over at the car, and I knew that in his mind, he was saying, "MOM, it's video night!!"  If I'd been closer, he probably would have said, "Shoo!  Shoo!  Get Out of Here!"

Kyle & Jordan

 

 

And so, with a heavy heart and feeling completely bereft, I started the car and drove away!

 

A bittersweet moment! 

And an awesome one at that.

 

**Please excuse this interruption**