#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!