09/24/2026
"It's O-KAY...Everything is fine," The man with the kind,soft eyes said.
Liam was kicking and screaming and hitting his head at the table in the Tim Hortons.
We paid and waited for our order at a table in the corner.
I could see that the kind man was keeping track of the orders placed on the serving counter a few feet away from us. As I was getting up, he showed me to wait. When they announced one plain bagel toasted with butter and one decaf cappuccino, he looked at me. I nodded. I knew he wanted to make sure he got the right stuff. He put it gently on the table in front of Liam.
(Still screaming and kicking and hitting his head. The more I tried to manage a silent and subtle exit, the more Liam yelled: "Timmieeeeeeeees!!!")
He kicked his heels into the ground 😳. He was not going anywhere. We. Were. Stuck. Liam had his bagel and his drink with him but was still extremely upset and unhappy.
I felt bad for the disruption we caused. I felt bad for not being able to read Liam. I tried to be Liam's calm in the storm, his safe place, his comfort, his rock.
Nothing worked.
I tried to swallow the huge lump stuck in my throat. Although I was calm and composed, I felt hopeless and lost. I tried to force the lump down, along with the uninvited tears trying to escape from the corners of my eyes when I heard:
"It's O-KAY. Everything is fine", for the second time.
I was amazed.
Unknowingly, this kind man made us feel seen, he made us feel included, he made us feel that we had a place in the Tim Hortons too. Like everybody else. Even though we seemed so completely out of place!
And somehow, Liam calmed down, got regulated and ate his bagel. The hitting stopped. The screaming stopped. The noise stopped. Everything was quiet and peaceful and pleasant.
When Liam was done eating, he looked up at me, he started to clear the table slowly and said: "Home" (As if nothing happened 😉)
Liam held out his hand, waiting for me to take it. I took his small hand in mine, holding it tightly like a precious gem stone, thinking: "I'll be here Hun. Right beside you. You are my person. I'll be your advocate, your voice, your Mama for as long as humanly possible."
On our way out, I mouthed "THANK YOU!!", to the man with the kind eyes, the long hair and the beard. Tears were filling my eyes big time at that moment, I was so touched by what this man did today. His assurance and help with Liam's order meant the world to us. To me.
When we were in the car, ready to go home, the glistening in my eyes turned into big, uncontrollable, cry-my-guts-out-sobs. (Sorry to anyone witnessing that unfortunate moment. I do ugly crying REALLY well! 😊😂)
I wasn't crying because of my son having a meltdown in Tim Hortons, but I was crying because angels were turning up in my life when I needed it the most.
People with disabilities tend to make other people feel uncomfortable. We don't know what to do if we are confronted with unfamiliar situations. We tend to look the other way. We are afraid to get involved.
But...
Sometimes, just sometimes, Someone (out of nowhere) chooses to show up, chooses to use words or actions in order to help others. Without knowing the huge impact they have made by doing so.
Liam said: "Right!" As I was about to turn right on our way home. "Thank you Liam!" I said. "Yes, we turn right"
A wave of love and emotion for this special child filled my soul.
I smiled.
"Let the children come to me"
Jesus said.
(All of them. The gifted ones, the average ones, the disabled ones, the severely Autistic ones, the disruptive ones...)
Today in the Timmies?
I felt that 🥹🙏🏻❤️
