Funny, how just last week I had an impulse to go to Pizza Hut.

Not many of you know I used to work at Pizza Hut when it was a full-service restaurant. I worked my way up to the Lead Waitress-yes, we used to call it that in 1984.

We even had our Rehearsal Dinner at Pizza Hut the night before our wedding. So, that was September 6, 1984. Lucky for this blog post I thought to take a photo.

The marriage lasted 21.5 years. On September 7, 2024, it will be 40 years ago.

But, this thing actually happened in my life and I get to recognize happenings in my life. As do you!

Also, seemingly unrelated, I wrote the following poem not long ago. I believe the words and content capture a gratitude that has taken me a long time to process and arrive at. See what you think:

“You told me I didn’t accept you

But, darling, how could we have known?

The autism spectrum conception

Had not begun to be known.

It infiltrated all our reality

In one way or the other

Each handling our perspective

In the best way that we could conceive.

The truth was somewhere in the middle

Understanding neither could reach

Clumsily, time would erode

The family that we would seek.

It was a time before

The world put together

the traits that would have validated our issues

Minute and enormous, chronic and just out of sync.

It pains me to realize in hindsight

How caustic the route we would take

Not truly understanding the nuance

Between the puzzle of life at stake.

The hopes of ourselves and our children

Did not deserve the breach falling open

The path of distress and pain

That maybe could have been avoided.

We can’t go back and repair

Not change the endeavor we pursued

We can grieve what was lost

And embrace the unfolding and new.

You have a life that seems happy

Reality bent to your will

My practice supports the emotive

My life is full and renewed.

Our children are wonderful people

Our grands coalesce everything good

The lives we could not have envisioned

While in the midst of the storm.

Blessings to all who imagine

The truth that is yours to support

The courage it takes to uncover

The effort spent to love fully.

Valerie Bringas Montgomery

8.13.24″