Another year, another round of holidays and birthdays and God only knows what else. . .

A twitter friend, who read my blog today, found two of my articles when she googled "Valentine's Day for Autistic Teens." Her search pulled up two of my blog entries: Both my recent article "Ignorance is Not Bliss," about raising an autistic teenager and an article I wrote last February 13 titled "Valentine's Day is just another day in Holland for a special needs mom."

I went back and reread last February's article and could not stop laughing. I wrote that article while sitting in an all-day Continuing Education Seminar, which fell right between a week of pneumonia for the then 6-year-old Tazmanian Devil and his fifth surgery in four years.

Such is my life as a special needs mother.

While rereading the article, I suddenly remember that next Wednesday is my mother's 75th birthday and I have yet to buy a card or a present, much less mail one. This would be the same mother, who informed me, oh so nonchalantly, on Christmas Day that she's been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's.

The same woman, who has always been way better at remembering birthdays than I am.

Seriously though, it is really bad form to miss your mother's 75th birthday, especially when every birthday has suddenly become quite precious and you live hundreds of miles apart.

I would like to say that I have an excuse. After all, I am a special needs mom to two children on the autism spectrum. I'm struggling to pay an ever increasing budget of medical co-pays, social skills therapy and private school fees, which are not covered by me daughter's special needs scholarship. And, I am doing so on a seemingly ever decreasing amount of household income, because the economy still bites after two long years.

But I can't. . .

Justify an excuse for forgetting such an important day. Not when I keep a detailed calendar on both my computer, where I spend almost all of my waking hours, and my Blackberry, which I sleep with.

I can, however, say. . .

Thank God for computers, the Internet and Amazon Prime's free 2-day delivery.

Two gifts are now on their way to grandma for delivery on her birthday with special birthday wishes from me, Dh and her only two grand kids: 7yo Taz and 14yo Jessie.

Once again God is watching out for me and once again I remember that I am never walking alone.

Nianya

P.S. You may ask why I pay $79 per year for the privilege of free 2-day shipping. HELLO, I spend hundreds of dollars each year on Amazon Prime eligible products, usually at deep discounts, often in bulk, without paying for tax or shipping, and without having to change out of my jammies. UPS practically lives at my front door.

P.P.S Grandma's a huge Bama fan and luckily Amazon has a large selection of Crimson Tide products for sale with free Amazon Prime shipping. ROLL TIDE ROLL