The Toby Award

Given to those who perform silent but heroic acts. Those that would never think of praising themselves. People who probably don't even realize how remarkable their actions are. Those who work hard to make the world a better kind of place, just by virtue of who they are and the decisions they make. For those who are much like Sir Toby, shy and quiet, and always willing to come and lie on your chest and snuggle their furry head into your shoulder.


The Nominee:
I "met" this nominee when she was in the hospital with pre-eclampsia. And I hesitated to comment on her blog. I'm not the poster child for pre-e gone well. But finally did, and then I really got to know her, and I have come to enjoy her immensely. Trish at Fertile Hope is a great mum, and a wonderful human being.

There are 2 tendencies when you are the parent of a special child. You can either romanticize the challenges, or focus so much on the challenges that you never talk about the joy and wonder. Trish does neither. She does a brilliant job of talking about what it's like to be the mum of a little boy who struggles to eat. She talks about the hard parts, the frustrating parts, but she talks about the delight as well. Robbie truly is a remarkable little human.


Ladies and gentlemen, if you would join me in raising your glass. Albus Dumbledore was quite right, there are many varieties of courage. One type is to get up every morning, knowing that it is going to be hard.


To Trish.


Nominations:
Are always gratefully accepted and can be sent to the email on my profile page.