The author has spent many years as a special education teacher in a unit for children with physical disabilities and severe medical conditions. The children there had an amazing zest for life and would relish all that a day brought forth. The school was fun and provided such a relief from the endless medical appointments and hospitalization. The author gained a master's degree in special education with a qualitative thesis featuring the impact on the family life of having a child with a disability. Working closely with parents and families of children with disabilities allowed the author to share in the joys and heartaches these amazing people went through. There were many opportunities for the author to write stories about the children in the class and read them to the children when they were sad or upset. The children with autism especially responded well to these stories. Laughter was always present and many would create outrageous tricks that would bring even more laughter. A special bond was forged between teacher and family. Parents would ask the teacher to write special stories about their child when that child lost the battle for life. In that special unit, all knew how to celebrate life and so there were many times to party and enjoy all that they could do. When new gains were made such as first steps, everyone celebrated and it was time for a new story to be written.
