Hope and I meet Rhema and her teacher Kim at the door. We assume our positions for the greeting program we’ve been working on for years – me kneeling and waving, Kim crouching, Hope jumping up and down, Rhema looking at anything but us. Some days it’s like magic. And some days… well… I think the whole exchange [...]
Archive for September, 2011
School pickup
Posted in Uncategorized on September 28, 2011 | 10 Comments »
Inappropriate hugging
Posted in Ordinary Miracles, tagged autism, friends, hug on September 27, 2011 | 16 Comments »
Autism, our autism at least, is about extremes. For years Rhema was tactile defensive. Touch averse. Any time we tried to hug her she would squirm and run away like we’d just eaten garlic pizza and onion rings. But these days we are experiencing such deep, emotional connections with her – it’s amazing! One of her [...]
Humble heart
Posted in Uncategorized on September 23, 2011 | 14 Comments »
I am slow to blog these days. There are stories to tell and lots of little thoughts in the old head, but my words seem to be few. Could be that the only time to write and read is after the rugrats are in the sack, the nightly chores are done, and the husband and I [...]
The Joyful Sound
Posted in Ordinary Miracles on September 19, 2011 | 19 Comments »
“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound…” ~Psalm 85:15 . I have such a soft spot for the voices of children with autism. Some have only just begun to talk; some never seemed to have trouble speaking at all. Some script, some have poor articulation, some are monotone and echolalic. But to hear [...]
Secret in the Crying Room
Posted in Uncategorized on September 15, 2011 | 19 Comments »
Many churches have them now - soundproof rooms where parents retreat with their babies so as not to disturb the rest of the congregation. In our church, the crying room is above the sanctuary and has large windows enabling us to hear everything and look out over the whole congregation. Usually parishioners cannot hear the happenings in [...]
Pink!
Posted in Uncategorized on September 13, 2011 | 19 Comments »
Which ones? I’d been standing in the store for a half hour trying to figure it out when I sent the desperate question out over text. Understanding the seriousness of the situation, my twin called right away and talked me through the options. There were the standard, nondescript, go-with-everything pairs. I couldn’t lose with those. [...]
On being good stewards…
Posted in Uncategorized on September 6, 2011 | 14 Comments »
Hope took issue with the fact that we labored on Labor Day. Lots of house work and yard work and work, work, work. Brandon took the opportunity to turn it into a teachable moment… (in a roundabout sort of way). B: We have to take care of the things we have. You know why? Hope: [...]
Growth happens
Posted in Ordinary Miracles, tagged autism, growth, little big things, progress on September 5, 2011 | 22 Comments »
Wow. We still have many situations when Rhema cannot express what she wants and needs, or tell us what hurts… when her lack of language is heartbreaking and frustrating for her and us. But slowly a page has turned, and we’ve entered a new phase of discovery. On previous pages was a child hyperactive and [...]
