Grace to Accept Acceptance

It is April. A lot of families that have children with Autism are celebrating Autism Awareness month. Yes we celebrate our kids. We do it in different ways. We might just put a blue light out on our porch. Some might volunteer this month. Some are donating to different organizations for the month. Some are doing what I do which is try and describe their experiences of having this challenge or as I see a blessing. A blessing? Isn't Autism a disorder? Isn't it a struggle for your child and you everyday? Yes it is but in ways that some people can't fathom Autism blessed our household.
   It is hard for some people to accept that there might be some positives to struggles. That struggles make you a better person. Struggles get things done in this life. If we had it easy breezy there would be nothing getting done. It is when we are uncomfortable that we seek to change our outcome. The symptoms of Autism can create havoc in the house that is for sure. However, there are things that are so extraordinary about my daughter that it is easily looked past.
    My daughter is a cuddle muffin. She is different even in the spectrum. She loves to be cuddled and carried by me. She is 6 and getting quite big. Even though I still pick her up. She rests her head on my shoulder as she has done for 6 years. She remembers practically everything. She will use that to communicate in future conversations. She will use a line in a movie to answer a question correctly. She downloads conversations and stores them for when she needs to use them. She is her own best teacher. Once someone teaches her something she will take that and repeat it over and over until it is learned. Even though it is hard for her to answer a question directly she will find a way to answer it indirectly. She now can perform scenes out of movies she likes. She can do things extremely well or she struggles.
   My daughter is the best person to get a hug from. She is completely honest. COMPLETELY. She will tell you if she doesn't want to play with you. She will tell you when she likes you. She will get extremely excited to see a person she loves. She can be nervous around certain people. You will know that right away too. I would climb three mountains to see her smile. She touches everybody that she meets.
   I'm going to celebrate my daughter this month. Not that I  don't everyday. She has Autism. Autism does not have her. It IS a part of her. She is wired differently than I. That means even though she has struggles she might be able to do something a lot better than I can. She sees the world differently. Temple Grandin says "The world needs all kinds of minds" I couldn't agree more.