A Welcome Hug.

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I have written about this young fella in the past. But that does not mean you remember him. His family sees him as having ADHD and developmental delays. But I see him as on the Autism spectrum. When I first met him, he would look near me, but not at me. He plays piano mostly with his index fingers, and I have been trying to teach him to "spread his hands out" " over the keyboard. He IS one of those kids who naturally understands music. He will sit down and bang out "Joy to the World (the Lord Has Come)." He will do the same with Bach's Minuet in G. We have been together for two or three years and have established an enjoyable relationship. He has been making real eye contact with me for over a year. We can imitate each others' melodies on piano, and even have several musical "inside jokes" that make us both laugh. About three months ago, he had to stop lessons because he was playing soccer. His Grandma took his spot, and I taught her piano. I also informed her, to the best of my ability, how I was teaching piano to her Grandson. Yesterday, as I arrived at work, I was pleasantly surprised to see my young student (he may be 11-years-old now) sitting at the art table. When he saw me, he made direct eye contact and said, "Hi, Horse." Then, as we were heading to the lesson room, he gave me a big hug. In our lesson, he continued to favor his index fingers over "proper technique," but we had a great time working on familiar melodies, and imitating each other's playing. Enough for now. I look forward to making further progress with this kid. Hugs are always welcome in my world.