Guest Post
To The Friend Who Gets It
A friend reminds you of your worth. She knows when you’ve had the max you can take and knows that you can’t go out for a drink, so she comes to you with all the ingredients for a fine Bloody Mary. A friend is one who doesn’t just talk. She doesn’t say a word, she just shows up. She attends your daughters IEP because she knows her support will give you strength to be Mama Bear. She shows up to your chaotic life and takes your kid to a soccer…
Read MoreHow I See Myself Now
Would you believe I didn’t look at my own wedding photos until years after the big day? My husband and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary this week and I saw most of the professional photos for the first time just a few months ago. Yes, you read that right. Thousands of dollars worth of photos depicting some of the most important moments in my life spent years tucked away in a forgotten dropbox, out of sight out of mind. Why? Because if I didn’t look at those pictures, I…
Read MoreTo the Parents Who Blame Themselves
When I was first born I was everything you had waited for, I was the dream you had both been holding onto for so long. I came when you needed me the most, after loss I was the rainbow that came after an awful storm and I shone brighter than ever. From the moment i joined your family I knew that you would love me more than anything else in this whole wide world. I was such a content baby who always smiled at everything, my favorite thing was just…
Read MoreRemember My Boy
The next time you are stuck at the grocery store, irritated with the man at the front of the growing line because he keeps chatting with the clerk, think of my boy. The man might be verbally ruminating about new soda flavors he saw on tv or explaining his frustration that the store is out of the only bread he eats. How it is very important because he eats this bread for every meal in his day. He may also bring up the triangle-shaped crackers he saw on aisle seven.…
Read MoreWhat I Wouldn’t Give to Peek Inside Your Mind
I’ve been smacked across the face, shoved, had my hair pulled, laundered urine-soaked sheets and scrubbed floors covered in the breakfast that was back handed to the floor the minute it was placed on the table … and it is only 6:30 am. This is the direct result of autism, anxiety and a complete lack of bodily control, which is exponentially worsened when a medication must be adjusted or changed. Watching either of my children suffer is probably my most helpless experience as a parent. Add to that a child…
Read MoreAsking for Help Didn’t Make Me Weak, It Made Me Stronger
For some people it’s the diagnosis that stings. That punch in the gut that takes the breath right out of you. For me it was the months that followed. My whole life…the word Autism never meant anything bad. It never really meant anything to me. I felt relieved that finally no one could place the blame on me for my son’s behaviors and actions. However, that diagnosis became way too real for me. For the first time ever at Jackson’s first therapy appointment, he would not look at his therapists.It…
Read MoreTo the Man of My Life now, You Keep Me Going
My Bubba, You made me lucky enough to be a mom. I thought I had lost the only baby I’d ever have. You’re the only man in my life now buddy. You’re the kid who flips me the bird when you’re mad about something, and you’re the first one to apologize when the dust settles. You write me notes and push them under my bathroom door. You got up before me and made my Mother’s Day card and gave it to me. You referenced all of our little inside jokes…
Read MoreFinding Wonder in All Things
My daughter Opal is three years old. She loves trampolines, playing in water, swinging, and watching a few of her favorite movies. We are HUGE Disney fans in our house, so we’re always watching Disney plus. Opal’s absolute favorite movies include Cinderella, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Monsters Inc. (Monster’s Inc. AND Monster’s University!) Opal also has Autism and is currently non-verbal. She struggles with toys and pretend play. We have tried toy after toy, but she’s just not interested. This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but as a…
Read MoreBand of Brothers
Let me tell you about a band of brothers I know. They are small in size, but big in heart. I am blessed to call them mine. As I watch them grow and play each day, I am inspired to share what they teach me – not just about how to treat someone on the Autism Spectrum, but about how to have meaningful relationships in life, in general. These relationships create a strong support system with a balanced philosophy of “give and take”. As a mother, I could not be…
Read MoreIt Will Always Be You and Me
You and me Murph. We’ve been what each other need throughout this journey of Autism. On the good days we celebrate together. On the bad days we survive together. On the average days we manage to find something extraordinary together. On the days you slip away, I wait for you, and on the days when frustration and self doubt cause me to disappear, you manage to show me it’s going to be okay. You wait for me too, Murph and never think differently of me, even on my worst days.…
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