ah!! life begins, great times await. well done and I am as jealous as all hell, we are no closer now than we were two years ago

Jill,
Yeh it gets really scary when what you plan now can happen, no about turns.

I have just been through it, sold my business and now retired, with lots of dreams. It gets easy as things you planned, start to come togther for the next phase.

Keep the dream alive

well Jill you are right, we are about the same age, and if it were just the dragon and I, well we would be out there doing it right now, enjoying life in all it's glory

the problem is of course that we have a 28 year old cerebral palsy son who is not capable of taking care of himself in any way shape or form

we therefore must "place him" before we can continue with our lives, a "placement" is simply not available at this stage even though we (and quite a few others) were promised a placement within 2 years, almost 5 years ago (therein the 2 year time frame we used to aim for) we simply do not know what our future holds, we cannot plan a retirement like others

there has been a couple of developments in the private sector as far as special needs housing is concerned but nothing concrete at this stage

until we "place" him our lives are on hold, we are both currently in the rodent wheel with no way out unless we take him with us and if anybody here has any experience with a cerebral palsy child then they would know that is simply not possible in small confines

not looking for pity, dont need it, dont want it, just stating facts as they appear to us

but dont be afraid of the unknown, we have been there and I can tell you theres nothing fearfull out there, life belongs to you and your spouse now, no-one else, live it to the max and live it to suit yourself, no risk, just pleasure from now on, life begins

believe me if we had the opportunity we would be gone in a heartbeat, no second thoughts or worries, just tyre marks heading for the Kimberley's,

we are more than prepared, paid the house off a couple years back, settled all our affairs and accounts all through 60 hour plus weeks and paying for carers while we did it, we have had a couple of very attractive offers on the house so the only drawback would be the furniture but most of that is handbuilt one offs (by me) so wouldnt take long to sell either

well the placement was originally through government but they have backed completely away from everything where funding is needed and then it was through private but nothing is eventuating with either, a whole lot of talk and promises but very little else

it will be hard for us leaving our two sons, one in care and the other married with our two little darling grandkids, one boy (2 weeks old) one girl (almost two years) , but we intend to come back every year at xmas (if we can get away in the first place that is)

I think they will manage fine without us, the elder son could buy and sell me twice over, hard work by us over many years for his education seen to that for him so he's living the dream, everything all at once, the younger, well when we die he will have to be cared for anyway

if it doesnt happen well I guess we will sell up, build a new home somewhere and have a sort of non retirement with our son still with us, and just travel short trips, time will tell

we all have our cross to bear, we and the specialists struggled to keep him alive for the first 5 years of his life (still struggle at times now) and all through that we were told that we werent going to bring him home and if we did he would be a vegetable and never walk or talk, we accepted that and learned to live with it, as one does

turned out they were all wrong, we have a happy go lucky laughing, jovial, well balanced and very much loved member of our family, loved by all who visit us as well I might add, he is far from a burden

even though the early years bankrupted us, financially and phsycologically, we wouldnt change a thing, that which does not kill us only makes us stronger, we have grown much stronger as a family unit

we have no regrets about our decision to "keep him" it was ours alone, we chose it, we live with it, as I stated I am not out for pity, dont need it, dont want it, just telling it as it is, we thank god for our small victorys everyday,

I know there are others out there that are in the same boat, some are far worse off than us, I know cause I've seen them and by me telling my stories bit by bit it helps them as well, they tell me so in their emails and I enjoy helping them if only with a little mental support

they dont call them"special kids" for nothing, I drove , as a vollunteer, the special school bus for the port pirie special school for a couple of years while they waited for government funding to hire a full timer

it was some of the most rewarding work I have ever done, they eventually gained a full time driver and booted me out kicking and screaming, I tell you here and now I was heart broken for ages, I didnt want to leave them

those little buggers are still "my kids" I see most of them everyday as I drop my son off at a special training centre while I toodle off to toil in the salt mines to pay for it

If we dont get a retirement well so be it, if we do well then good, either way I will accept that and go on with life, my days are full of work my nights are filled with laughter, my thoughts and memorys are happy ones, we travel when we can, enjoy the company of many good freinds, I help a lot of people in between, so if I die tomorrow I have no regrets, I've walked a good path and I am a happy man, thats all that can be asked of a lifetime surely!!!

just thank god for the time he allows you on his paradise and take and enjoy each day as it comes, it can all be changed in less than a heart beat, to a whole new set of rules

anyway I'll get off me soapbox until another day!!

Dave, if more people thought like you, the world would be a much better place.

Can we get to Queensland via Port Pirie? We could drop in on you on the way north. We don't eat much. (hahahahaha)