The miracle of ET

I witnessed a miracle last night. Really I think I did. To many it wouldn’t look like much or even worthy of notice. But to me it is right up there with parting the Red Sea.

Sam kept himself busy last night by bouncing off the walls, punctuating every five minutes with his monotone “What’ the plan?” I’ve become good at tuning out the clutter. I didn’t immediately notice when the room grew quieter.

When I did notice, I was simply grateful for the peace. It had been a long day. I was happy to see Sam content on the sofa multitasking with his iPad while watching TV. I didn’t really think he was focusing on the TV much though. ET was on, a movie unfamiliar to Sam.

But he sat and he sat. I began to wonder was he watching?  No, he can’t be. The movie had too much dialog and Sam doesn’t process dialog. In a situation like this he has the attention span of a flea. He must be tired. But each time I glanced over he seemed completely engaged.  

I finally I broke the quiet by asking, "What are you watching?" "ET." Sam responded. “Who is ET?” I asked. Sam replied simply, “Extra-extra-extra-tal.” For a kid who has difficulty learning any word, his attempt at the word “extraterrestrial” was pretty amazing.

At bedtime I asked about his night. Sam responded, “Watch TV. Watch ET.” “Do you know ET?” I asked.  “ET is Extra-extra-extra-tal,” answered Sam. I probed further: “Where is ET from?” Sam responded, “Is from outer space.”  Finally I asked, “Tell me about ET?” Sam responded, “ET phone home. ET go home.”

Wow. He got it. Some of you won’t get the whole goose bumps moment of this. You won’t understand the magnitude of Sam following the storyline of a novel movie and understanding the essence of it.  

But some of you will know and you will understand. I want to throw a party. I want to celebrate. I’m wondering what else Sam is hiding behind those dark eyes. And all of a sudden tomorrow holds so much more promise.

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