We had an awful weekend, full of stomach flu, sore muscles, and lots of fever! But, we are on the mend! I have never been so relieved to feel better in all my life.  

We finally made the trip to Mount Rushmore, last weekend, though!  I should probably apologize for inundating everyone with pictures on facebook, but I just couldn’t help myself! 

We left Colorado Friday evening, thinking we would make the 6.5 hour drive to Keystone, South Dakota. But, about half way in, we were just exhausted from the day. We stopped for the night in Douglas, Wyoming, and woke bright and early Saturday morning to make it to Mount Rushmore. Autumn was the perfect time to visit. Most of the local shops have already closed for the winter season, and that made traffic a breeze. The crowd was minimal, and the weather was sunshiny and a  breezy 63°. I always envisioned having to walk such a long distance to actually be close to the monument, but it was a short trail and parking was close. Scott and I couldn’t wait to get there, but we were most excited for Maggie. We still don’t know why, but when Mag was just a tiny 3 year old, she insisted that she needed to see “the Presidents’ heads.” She never stopped asking, and she was every bit as pleased as we’d hoped she would be. She wanted to stay forever.

While we were standing in front of the phenomenally carved heads of some of our nation’s greatest presidents, a young, twenty-something girl asked if we’d like her to take our family picture. We agreed, and she immediately tried to get Samuel to look her way. I didn’t particulary feel like explaining Sam’s autism or chromosome disorder, so when she asked how she could get him to smile, I laughed and jokingly said, “Well, he loves Jingle Bells!”

This precious girl replied in song with, “Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh…”

Then, her friend joined, “Oh’er the hills we go, laughing all the way..”

And, THEN, about 15 more strangers joined in, “Ohhh, Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way..”

And, as Scott, Maggie, and I looked into this crowd of unknowns, the multitude grew. Before the song was finished, over 50 Mount Rushmore visitors, of all ages, races, and backgrounds were singing the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. They were singing out of the goodness of their hearts. They were singing for our family’s picture. They were making our autistic son smile, by bringing a little Christmas to October!

Right there, below the Presidents’ heads, in South Dakota, among people we will likely never meet again, God’s goodness came down, and His glory filled all of our souls. 

Scott, and I had tears streaming down our faces, as we were in amazement and disbelief at the pure humanity of our fellow Americans. 

And, when the song was finished, the crowd clapped and cheered, and I told them how thankful we were for this blessing- this display of mankind’s gentleness to our special needs child. 

It was a perfect day.