For all you mamas out there who have extra special treasures that require a wheelchair this one’s for you…because 24 hours later I’m still giggling.  Seriously.  It was just too fun not to share.

Yesterday Ruby had an appointment with her neurologist downtown.  Elijah had eagerly volunteered to be my “riding buddy”  – his adores his little Ruby and is so good with her.  Her neurologist glows when he sees her – he thinks she’s pretty sweet.

Ruby hasn’t had a seizure now in THREE (yes, I’m shouting that!) years!  I tell Dr. W every year we see him, that the only praise goes to our astoundingly faithful God.  Next month she sees her neurosurgeon who also adores her.  Our little chica is so loved!  Truly her healing is miraculous!

With the appointment over we were on our way home when I remembered a couple of things I needed to pick up at the grocery store.  It was Monday morning but for some reason I didn’t notice any handicap spots as I pulled in.  The parking lot wasn’t particularly busy, but the handicap spots were taken.  Of course we have a wheelchair plate on the van as well.

So I did what I always do when I have Ruby or Johnny with me and there aren’t any handicap spots open.  I move further back from the store and look for two spots side by side and pull into the middle of them both so I have plenty of door access on the side of our van.

It’s honestly tricky.  We always need space for the wheelchair to be positioned beside the van door to enable each of our two to exit safely.   I guess, truth be known, I would rather park a mile away taking up two spaces then to have the stress of trying to lift Ruby out, balance her while climbing backwards down three steps onto the parking lot and then setting her in her chair all while not touching the car beside us.  No thank you.  So two spots work rather well.

Anyway, I chose two spots a good distance from the store leaving empty parking places between our van and the store.  Elijah and I lifted her chair out of the rear, shut the rear door,  and went around the side.  Elijah stood waiting for me as I had unbuckled Ruby, gently lifting her down the steps in my arms while gripping with my right hand the hand grip and then placing her in her chair.  It was then that the fun began.

As I finished strapping Ruby into her wheelchair Elijah and I heard a man at the back of the van speaking loudly in an extremely annoyed tone, “LOOK AT THAT PERSON!! THEY TOOK UP TWO SPOTS!”    He clearly had zero clue that I was right around the corner of the van from him as he and his wife passed by heading to their car.

Shutting the door, I whirled Ruby around and popped my head up joyfully responding with a big smile, “Oh!! It’s just me!! I took up two spots because our treasure is in a wheelchair and the handicap spots were taken.”

His face? Absolutely Priceless!  

Now his very loud annoyed tone suddenly turned to stammering while attempting to pull his foot out of his mouth, as he responded while basically running to his car, “Ummm, ahhh, ahhh, yeah, I see that now, I’m really sorry…”

But friends I was just having too much fun at this point and couldn’t help myself continuing on cheerfully, “We actually have two kids who are in wheelchairs and so whenever the handicap spots are taken I use two spots.  It’s pretty hard to get our quadriplegics down from the van and into a wheelchair with a car pressed up against us…..”

I never really saw his wife, she had moved into the “duck and run position”…and it wasn’t ever about her…but she probably was ready to clobber him when he got in!! He shut his door so fast…and I chuckled heading into the store…

Elijah actually put it best as the three of us walked together, “What business was it really of his mom?  He should learn to mind his own business.”   

True wisdom from our eleven-year-old.

And now you know why I’m still chuckling.