I was glad to get Philip out tonight. It is not easy, but it is so good for him to have a change of scenery. I brought him to a family fitness night event at my school. It was a particularly good event for him because a school is a familiar setting. He has undoubtedly played volleyball with a beach ball before, and he was excited to join in. He really liked the blue platforms used for step aerobics. He just jumped on them.

I was happy to see the other children, many of them my students, reach out to Philip and say hello. I have spoken of him in class, so the children were so responsive to him. I don’t know how much it helps Philip, but it sure helps me when people reach out and together we say, “this is a dear child and together we will care for him and love him.”

One of my favorite parts of the night was in the beginning when there were a few brief speakers. When something humorous was said and everyone laughed, Philip joined in loudly. I knew he was having fun.

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