We'd been reveling in Evan's success and forging ahead with his weekly therapies, when November 12th rolled around. It was a day that I had dreaded, but had no choice but to face. It was the three year anniversary of my father's death, but the passing of time did not seem to make things any easier. Although I wanted to live under the covers for 24 hours I knew I had to throw it into Mommy gear at the first sounds of mumbling over the monitor. The morning rituals kept me busy and after dropping off Evan at school I had some time to run a few errands. Apparently they transferred that giant magnet under the island from Lost to Target. That store draws me in every week and I can't walk out those automatic doors without a cart full of stuff I had no idea I needed.
After some strategic trunk rearranging to fit all my purchases (yes, I need a snow cone machine) it was time to pick up Evan from school. I perked up when I saw his excitement after reminding him of our upcoming outing. We were all going to see the Imagination Movers in concert that night. It was his favorite show and also his little sister's. I dreaded the moment when that would change and there would be serious fights over the remote control. But for now we were all looking forward to the big show. Since we had front row seats and this was Evan's first real concert I knew I had to prepare him as best I could. Evan has sensory issues, so I talked to him about the crowds, bright lights and loud noise we would be encountering. He had come a long way in the last year in that department, so I hoped that there would be no major issues.
After a lively 45 minute drive to the venue and listening to every Imagination Movers song twice, we were ready to rock. Our seats were great and Evan seemed to understand that we were about to see Rich, Scott, Dave and Smitty in person. I'm not gonna lie...I was excited too.
The show was amazing and the kids were having a blast. Evan was dancing and singing and loving every minute of it. He did cover his ears a few times, which is what he does when he feels overwhelmed. Other than that, it was a major success. Since the guys were so close, Evan got lots of waves and high-fives throughout the set. The highlight was when Rich came down and knelt right in front of Evan. He was jamming on his guitar and Evan had his hands over his mouth like he couldn't believe it. He kept looking back at me with a face I will never forget. His eyes were in awe and his smile was huge. When I thought it couldn't get any better, Rich handed Evan his guitar pick. It was such a great moment!
An otherwise sad day was made a whole lot better. Evan was practically ambivalent toward the crowds and noise, which was a great accomplishment. The concert was so much fun and there is just nothing like your kids' smiles to lift your spirits.
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