$1.765 Billion…

Winning that amount of money is just so hard for me to wrap my head around…I mean where would I even start?

Lump sum payout after taxes in Texas is $681 million and some change…ya I said change cause really if you get handed a check for $681 million the rest of the number are change…

The lowest payment with the annuity option is $23 million…a year! That’s about $2 million a month…

I know there are people who live that life out there. But for me and my family…it would literally turn our worlds upside down.

I have a son on the autism spectrum. He needs a one on one caregiver 24 hours a day. If I allow myself to think about how it could change his life, all I can do is pray that someday I will be holding that winning lottery ticket. Because the wish list for him is long…and the vision in my head of his life if all those things came true is so incredibly sweet and beautiful.

If I could…I would buy this amazing piece of property that’s over 155 acres of rolling hills and trees that’s easy access to town and medical services. I would build our forever home and create a self sustaining as off the grid as I could make it homestead. I would build smaller homes for each of the kids to have their own place to call home. And for my son I would build a fully customized home. One that would be safe and address his sensory needs as well as his safety and elopement concerns. Soooooo many things come to mind. Hiring a well trained and vetted staff of one on one aides to be by his side would be amazing.

I also have dreams of being able to take him places I would love to share with him and travel in a way that he would enjoy and be safe. He loves to go for drives but can’t handle long drives. Flying and being restrained in a seat for hours is not in the cards for him so I dream of a custom built train car or two that would allow him to move around and be comfortable.

I have dreams of building a respite camp for special needs families so they can come to a safe place to rest and enjoy an experience with their special needs kiddos and their other kiddos. Where there are activities geared for the whole family and trained staff to provide one on one care if needed.

There’s so much more, so much more…

So even though the statistics of actually winning are so small I will continue to get that ticket because I suffer from that silly little human condition called hope. And then I will take my hope and I send my prayers up in faith that whatever is supposed to happen will. Because I have to have faith that everything that my son struggles with and goes through has a purpose and that there is a plan for him.