This is an old bridge. Probably there is a plaque somewhere with a date, and maybe a builder. But the people who benefit from being able to cross the river don't need to know that. In fact short travelers, like three year olds, can't even see high enough to know there is water beneath them. They go barreling across the way they charge through life. Which is just as well. 

Benjamin started his internship today. A man named Franco pulled up and had enough paperwork to convince me that he knew where Ben needed to go. The drive is part of my worry, because it is rush hour, and he will be too shy to talk about Pixar movies. He has his state issued ID around his neck, and a lunch in his back pack. His shirt is tucked in, and there is a belt through the loops of his khakis. But beyond that, what can I do to get him to the other side?

He has been blessed by the local school district for many years. I am grateful. And as he turns twenty one we all hope he will be gainfully, if only partially, employed. But the bridge between the two is an unknown. Will he understand what is expected of him? Will he get lost in the sprawling complex of Glasko Smith Kline? The people we met with have done this before. They select young people that have disabilities, yet also abilities to comply with the demands of an entry level job. It could be good. Potentially he will feel like he has accomplished something, which I believe is at the heart of being human. Ben is proud when he takes out the compost, or the recycling. But the unknown part is what scares me. And him. 

It is not as if Ben is the first person to make the transition from school halls to a work environment. The expectations are a minefield even for the highest achieving students. Yet Ben is different. He is mine. 

I took his picture before he headed out the door. But it was one of those goofy smiles, made on demand. I am hoping with all that is in me there will soon be a day when he goes barreling out the door, oblivious to the perils just beneath his feet, and the people who worked to get him across. Then my picture will be of the back of his head. But I will be the one smiling.