Autism has given me a voice. I would have never been able to give an impromptu acceptance speech in a room of golfers without stuttering and crying six years ago. Autism makes me cry, almost daily. The tears are sometimes of joy for a Syd success story. The tears are painful because autism doesn’t come with sick days for me. I am constantly advocating for Sydney. I want people to see Sydney the way we see her.
Everyday I look to God and remind Him that He can’t leave me. I need God to give me the words to speak to her school, to place people in my life that share my journey and continue to cover Harrison with grace and mercy.
Autism families do what we have to do. We laugh to keep from crying. For me I blog. We jump when the phone rings, especially if it is the school calling. We navigate scheduling appointments. I bring enough binders and documents to appointments that I feel like an attorney entering the court room before trial.
Autism families have fun too. It may look different to you but we are having a blast. Sunday, I took the kids to a pumpkin patch. This was a practice trial for going to a larger orchard later this month. I explained to Sydney that we could pick one pumpkin. Harrison’s asthma was giving him the blues and he really wasn’t feeling well.
Syd was excited to see the scarecrows and the pumpkins. I was hoping that she would just pick one of the pumpkins from the stand near the front. But the gentleman said to go out into to the field. So we did. She had fun picking the perfect pumpkin in less than five minutes. We took a few pictures and were ready to pay for our pumpkin. Before we left they had three mini pumpkins for a $1.00. Harrison gave Sydney a $1.00 to buy three mini pumpkins. He told her he was proud of her for following directions.
Our experience will help us on other outings that we attend in our community. I will remind Syd on how well she followed directions and waited for our turn. Waiting is very hard for Sydney. And wi-fi will not always be an option. I can now admit that things are hard for our family and that it does take some strategic planning sometimes for us to leave the house. I will no longer say “No” to an invitation. We will at least give it a try.
~We’ve come a long way baby.
~Brooke
A Woman's Work - Brooke Basically Blogging 