Perception of Beauty

   I was at the doctors office getting an exam for an up coming surgery. I had my daughter Sharon with me. When Sharon was younger it wasn't noticeable that she was autistic. She just seemed shy didn't really want to talk in public. That has changed she has no problem talking away in public. She isn't talking to anybody she is just making comments about what she is seeing or what is in her head. She is consistently talking. We are use to it. If she is not talking she is singing. In the waiting room I get the same old looks that I'm use to. The I am so uncomfortable because of this kid looks. On top of the why isn't she in school looks. Luckily I am really good at ignoring this kinda of thing. I am completely aware of it. Like that growing pile of dishes in the sink that really is unpleasant. I have other things to attend to so it gets ignored sometimes as well.
   I get back to wait for the doctor and Sharon is skipping along behind me. We get in the room, concern is mounting with Sharon. She doesn't want anybody to mess with Mama. She is twittering around the all too small room speaking hastily about my knee and foot. She tells me not to take off my clothes. I tell her we got to do what they say. At this point the one who is usually attending me is visually annoyed by the banter. They usually are fussing to get finished as quickly as possible so they can escape. I do not blame them. They are not use to the sensory overload of Sharon. However, this particular nurse today was taking her time. She had a smile on her face. She told me that Sharon was cute. She asked me how old she was.. I am writing this down because I rarely get someone that does this. She was asking Sharon questions. When it was time to put on my gown, Sharon wanted a "dress" too. The nurse obliged letting her put one over her clothes. Sharon in turns runs around happier than a hog in mud. Another smile from the nurse. The doctor comes in and says "I hear we have two patients today". Again patience seeping from the doctor as Sharon still fluttering about. Getting in the way as the Doctor was trying do an exam. Sharon finally decided to weight her iPod. Sharon checked it out as I was getting checked out. They looked past her all to obvious behaviors and saw Sharon. They did it immediately. I thank them for it.
    If we change our perception we get a clearer image. My daughters have taught me that before I look at something for their behavior ask the question why. There is a purpose to every single thing that a person does. It could be to communicate. It could be that they are angry and are completely unaware. A lot of damaging behavior is caused by pain that the person is having a hard time dealing with. We can all look at somebody and feel weird about them. Are we looking at them? Or are we looking at their behaviors? Are we looking at their beliefs? Are we looking at their politics? We might not agree on things. We all have the same feelings. We all have to make it in this world. It is time to change the perception. It is time to look past the surface. It is time to have relationships based on mutual struggle of life. It is time to look at a human and say hey it's me. I love me. I even love a smaller me. If we can do that perception of beauty changes and love begins.

#AutismBigGive

I was suppose to make a video. I tried and failed. I know what I want to say but can't get it out properly so here we are.

     I am supporting the Big Give for Autism on September 17 because my daughter has Autism. She was diagnosed on December 21, 2010. It was one on of those defining moments in your life. We have several of them. Mine would be when I got married, when God called me and when Sharon was diagnosed with Autism. It was a wake up call. It was time to step up. I thought loving a child and teaching them right from wrong was enough. It wasn't enough for my daughter. Autism is challenging no doubt about it. It is challenging for my daughter and our whole family. However, it made us the family we are. We are thankful for that. We are thankful that we have learned and grew from the challenge. We are thankful for the opportunity to meet people that we wouldn't have met otherwise. People are probably wondering how I can possibly be thankful at all in my situation. First I try and find the good in every situation. If there is no good something has got to be funny about it. That is how I see life. Second I would like to compare it to another challenging situation.
    Recently they have made a movie about climbing Mt. Everest. This is a huge challenge. It is also very dangerous. People sign up for that challenge, are actually excited to be in extreme freezing, painful dangerous conditions. I of course did not sign up for Autism it landed in my lap. It can be comparable emotionally to climbing say Mt. Everest. Sometimes you lose your footing. Somethings you are so lost you can barely breathe. You can't see any sign of getting any where, just white static. Then you get that mind blowing victory. Sometimes your child does something nobody thought they would do, including you. It is once in a life time experience. A victory causes people to take on challenges head on. Autism is a challenge every day. It is a constant struggle. The victories that we experience are greater than any struggle.
    Mt. Everest is a short term challenge. Autism is a life time experience. Many things face a family that it dealing with Autism. We have a lot of things that must be done. It is important to have the support around them. Just like those who tempt Mt. Everest it is never alone. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It is probably the only thing about child rearing that I can hold too.

   If you would like to show your support to the Autism community you can go to https://autismbiggive.org/ . If you have a story to share please do so. Thank you!