Mother’s Day was this month and as it is a day of recognition for mothers. I could not let the month end without recognizing our ‘Special Mothers”, the mothers of  handicapped children., Since we formed the Pervis Foundation, I have been in contact with many mothers who have special needs children. I am so impressed by them. All mothers make sacrifices, but these mothers have challenges and make sacrifices that are way beyond what we other mothers make. I had no idea until I became the parent of a son who is handicapped by autism.

We have in common a commitment to our child and the courage to live with them and to speak for them. These mothers  are some of the most brave  and courageous people that I know. Their bravery goes unnoticed and unsung, but they continue taking care of their child, earning their star in Heaven. That’s why we formed the Pervis Foundation to try to give them a little comfort. That’s why our motto is “a spoonful of comfort’ . A spoonful is the smallest amount of comfort that you can give.

You, too, can give a spoonful of comfort. You do not have to write a book or form a foundation to help these parents. If you have a friend or a relative who is struggling to raise a child with a handicap, can you offer help? Can you fix (or buy) them dinner a couple of times a month? Can you take them on an outing to a park for an afternoon? Can you ask them what you can do to help? Can you sit with their child so that they can have an afternoon off? (I would suggest a practice session with the mother there if you do this). If you cannot bring yourself to do any of this, then you at least recognize what they are up against.

These parents are my heroes and I wish that the Pervis Foundation could offer more than we do. We are a small “mom and pop” foundation and the pop part is gone. Pervis Sr was aware of the sacrifices that I made for our son and was aware of the sacrifices other parents make. I always had his encouragement and support, even when we were separated. He was a public figure so he felt a strong need to help. The Spinners had been humanitarians for others and Pervis was always asking me “What can we do?”. When we came up with what we could do, Pervis did not live to see it. He was the foundation for the foundation and I believe that his Spirit knows that we are helping in our small way.

When it came to our son, Pervis and I were always a team. He was an excellent father always supportive of me and his son.  When I lamented that I could not write a book because our son was not a success story, he felt that it was an “autism story” and needed to be told.

Special Mothers and the two Pervises are the reason that I continue. Pervis Jr is still handicapped, but he is much loved. I have seen how much he has overcome and I am proud of the person he has become. His behavior has improved greatly. He is now more pleasant and cooperative and tries to help. He smiles a lot more. He was the ultimate burden of my life. Then he became the ultimate challenge. Now he is the ultimate blessing.

“That which you do for the least of my brethren, you do also unto me. (Matthew 25:40)

Claudreen Jackson