speechless.

Some times I am speechless.
I don't always have the words to communicate with Kannon when he doesn't.
Most of the time I can get my point across to him, and him me.
But today was different...

We went to the park after school to play for a bit before he had therapy.

As always I sit on the bench and off he goes usually to the tire swing first.

Today was no different, tire swing first and then after he noticed a couple of boys running around in the sandbox area off he went to play with them.

I want to say that since starting school last year Kannon's interest and ability to play with his peers has just sky rocketed.
He loves other kids, all sizes and ages.
When he sees "fun" especially chasing around it is like a magnet for him that he cannot resist.

So off he went to the sandbox.
I could still see him but he was a little farther away so I couldn't really hear what was going on.

Within 10 minutes I hear Kannon screaming, in joy, and look over and the bigger boy was dumping a bucket of sand on his head...
I hopped up and saw Kannon's face and since he was clearly enjoying this act for whatever reason, I didn't panic.

I started to walk over just in case, as my alerts are always up.
When I was about 10 feet from the boys is when I heard the boy who was dumping the sand say to the other boy:

"This is what happens to retards."

Kannon just sat there flapping his hands and laughing in joy, since in his mind they were just playing...
Where as I immediately scanned the park for potential parents to "discuss" what I just heard their son say to my son.

I called over to Kannon to come by me, and this is when the boy took the bucket and no joke threw it as hard as he could at Kannon's face.

I wish I was kidding.
I wish as a parent I didn't have to watch such cruel things happen to Kannon more than any child should ever have to experience such actions...such words.
I wished for Kannon that this didn't have to happen to his gentle soul.

It obviously hurt Kannon and along with getting a handful of sand in his eyes he got a plastic bucket in the face...
It hurt him.
He started to cry from the sting of it all.

I ran over to him just as the boys were running off down the trail to their bikes they had left over by the trees and off they went...
No parents, no accountability....they were gone.

I knelt down, brushed the sand from his face and wiped the sandy tears from his cheeks.

Then, what Kannon did next is why I write about him.
It is why he really is so special.

He got up looked at the boys who were off and riding about 50 feet away from us, waved his hand high up in the air and yelled to them:

"Thank you boys for playing sand with me"

He thanked them.
Through his sandy tears...he was still gracious for their time.
His heart knew gratitude over pain.
He knew nothing about the cruelty that was just shown to him, only that these boys were "playing" with him.

Moments like this I am speechless.
I didn't have the words to try to talk this one out with him.
He looked at me wiping his face, tears gone now, and said to me...

"It's o.k mom...no more ouchie"

Still as I sit here and digest all of this I am speechless.

Bless his heart.
He said Thank You.

peace.