I feel guilty about a very strange thing. Not about something I’ve done, but about something I was given. Today, I want to hold my hand up and shield people from paying attention to this part of my life; here, in this particular community of parents who struggle daily with special needs, and never-ending vigilance. A few codes in our neurologist’s office indicate I’ve every right to be among you … [Read more...]
Autism Awareness Through the Eyes of Jesus
Autism awareness through the eyes of Jesus? During Autism Awareness Month, I like to remind myself and those who know and love someone with autism to look at that child or adult through the eyes of Jesus. Changing one's gaze explodes preconceptions and shifts paradigms in a powerful way. The following was written when my son Joel was ten years old. He is now 31. This is a vision I go back to, time … [Read more...]
I Can Teach You How to Fly!
Standing at the opening of the labyrinth on the grounds of Mt. Olivet Retreat Center, I stretch my arms outward. “Come, Holy Spirit. Show me what to write this week.” A flash in the sky draws my eyes upward. Just above me, riding a wind current, soars a Cooper’s hawk. The words come, unbidden: “I can teach you how to fly.” It’s not the first time I’ve heard these words from the … [Read more...]
Autism and Church: It’s a Good Thing, Part II
Back in December I wrote about the frustration and embarrassment of a particular church service with our 30-year-old son, Joel, who has autism. Joel could not sit still that day, blew out the Advent candles, muttered under his breath the entire service, walked into the bathroom and flushed the toilet several times (you have to understand that this is a very small church, and our one bathroom is … [Read more...]
Hope at 3am
Dear friend, I started to write you a charming little story and was halfway through...when Tuesday night hit. Let me just say that most of our days and nights are good. Not easy, but good. For the past two months, however, Tuesday nights have been different. It’s as if autism grabs hold of our lives like a 1950’s sci-fi flick, the one with the pretty little plant that … [Read more...]
Gratitude: God’s Secret Pathway to Protection
Here we go again, you might say, another lesson on gratitude. Strangely, though, despite that many times I've studied the topic, there's something I've been missing: There's a powerful connection between gratitude and powerful living. See, I've been listening to my conversations lately, and the words I hear myself speaking are not pleasant. Complaints. Impatience. Annoyance. Worldly … [Read more...]