Sunday Digest 26

We've had busy days over here for several days in a row. I have a feeling that will continue through the next few weeks as the holidays continue to roll through us...take a minute to get inspired along the way.

1) My fellow 5 Minutes for Special Needs contributor, Lee, posted this piece about parent advocacy that pretty much summarizes my own philosophy on the subject. It takes a special amount of effort to work with schools and other agencies that provide services. You have to stand up, and get busy, without being combative. It's a fine line to walk.

2) Every Mom needs to hear thank you...without prompting...but we don't always get it from our kids. When you need to hear it, read this. Your kids would say this...really!

3) One of my favorite new blogs to follow is Autism and Oughtisms. This mom had a great voice, and is particularly good at clearing up some common misconceptions about autism. This piece addresses the misconception that individuals with autism always have above average intelligence. Like many pieces of autism, intelligence ranges over a full spectrum.

4) Living in California, it's not often too cold to swing, but it is sometimes too wet...so I'll be trying out this move with my daughter soon, I'm sure. Thanks for the tip, Our Journey Thru Autism.

5) During days like I've had for the last week, it is hard to slow down and catch every opportunity. This post from InCourage is a good reminder that we need to be present in everything that we are doing. I have a feeling I'll need the reminder for some weeks to come.

Learning About the Pilgrims

Part of the first grade curriculum in public schools where we live is learning about the history of the pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation (or Plimouth - I'm not sure if this is the original spelling, or if it is the creative spelling employed by first graders). In any case my daughter wished to tell us all about the things she has learned about the pilgrims and the Native Americans who helped them during their first year in the New World. According to my daughter's new-found knowledge:

• There were 102 pilgrims who embarked on the Mayflower along with the few belongings they were able to bring with them.
• They lived on-board the Mayflower for sixty days and sixty nights before reaching Plymouth.
• More than half died from illness, and only 50 remained to settle the new land. My daughter says they died of sea-sickness, but I imagine there were many ailments that affected them.
• Their first village burned down.
• They lived in one room homes and nearly starved their first winter.
• The Native Americans (Wapanogs, I think that is the correct spelling...) taught the pilgrims how to plant food, corn in particular, and how to hunt and fish.
• To express their thanks to God for bringing them through one hard winter and for providing adequate food for their second winter they prepared a great feast with the Wapanogs, which we commemorate with our own feasts to this day, though I'm sure the foods are quite different.

There was one final point which we wanted to be sure our daughter understood. We asked her why the pilgrims had to get on the Mayflower in the first place. She told us that "The queen would not let them worship God the way they wanted to, so they got on the Mayflower to find a new land where they could worship God the way they wanted to." We are still thankful today for this wonderful freedom to worship God as we choose. Imagine the hardships that our forefathers endured to secure this freedom for us. The short list above is just what a child has been able to learn and keep in mind for the last few weeks. I'm sure there are innumerable other burdens they bore - difficulties in child birth, in leaving behind family and friends, in nursing their sick little ones in vain, and burying them on a distant cruel shore. They bore all of these costs for the freedom to worship. May we remember this high price and worship God today and every day, not just for what He  has given us, but for Himself and all that He is.

Being Thankful in the Moment

About this time last year I started getting hints that things were not going well in Kindergarten for our daughter. It came through strange channels, and to be honest I still don't know the full story of what happened, but it wasn't good. Several meetings followed and after about a month we were back on track, though perhaps driving on the rumble strip rather than a true lane. We have noted for some time a pattern of "honeymoon periods" when she begins a new program...all the way back to early intervention days when they told me she was "just an angel" and did not see any of the behavior issues I had reported at home - that'll make you feel like a great mom (not!). At some point the honeymoon has ended and trouble begins and we have to remind everyone of what she needs. After a course correction of some weeks to months we get back on track. I have taken to warning everyone of this pattern. Last year the warning wasn't completely heeded, and this year (so far) I've been crying wolf.

We have worked really hard to make this year start off well for her. You can read previous posts about all the steps we've taken to give her the best start possible at her new school. And, so far it seems to have paid off. All credit where it is due, the school staff have really been stepping up for her. At home we have simply maintained our routines and not scheduled too much extra stuff.

It has left me in kind of a limbo, honestly. Usually by now in the school year I am scheduling meetings, firing off urgent e-mails, scrambling for ideas and trying to understand what is happening. This year I'm just enjoying the ride...with some apprehension. I like to tell people that I'm waiting for the shoe to drop and hoping it doesn't! Even if it does, it FEELS like it might not be so bad this time around. Still a piece of me hesitates even to put this out there into the ether because knocking on wood doesn't really work, if you know what I mean.

So the biggest lesson my daughter seems to be teaching me at the moment is just that. Seize the moment. Enjoy it. It may not last, but don't let the worry that it won't last be what defines it. Instead let the light and sunshine now help dispel the clouds that threaten the horizon. Just be. Just give thanks!

You can join in Thankful Thursday here!

Sunday Digest 11

1) As a follow up to an earlier series of posts on achievement (starts here with links at the bottom for parts 2-4), I wanted to let you know about the new website for the film Race to Nowhere (formerly known as Slipping Behind). There is a petition there you can sign if you feel the importance of refocusing our educational system so that children can learn and be valued as individuals.

2) As a follow up to Thanksgiving, check out these thankful moments gathered by Autism Speaks from parents, grandparents, teachers, therapists and others who love someone with autism. Warning: you may need some tissue handy.

3) These tips for supporting autistic family members through the sometimes hectic holidays seemed generally helpful. We're trying the stepwise decorating idea just out of necessity...it took us so long to find everything yesterday that we didn't have time to set it up. Today the tree is up, but only half lit. You get the idea.

4) On a related note, here is a gift guide for special needs children ages 1-5. Over 5? - sorry you're on your own. Wait a minute!! Not fair!! Seriously - if you know a good resource for older children please leave a comment with a link below!

5) Not exactly Christmas music, but an interesting idea for letting special needs children experience the ability to make music.

God's Faithfulness - Fruit of the Spirit Part 7 cont.

We must remember that the fruit of the Spirit is not something we conjure up on our own. It is not by a gut-wrenching, adrenaline forcing, caffeine-fueling drive to meet up to God's standard on our own steam. Time and time again I must remind myself that I will never meet that standard on my own. I must allow Him to supply the power and character to demonstrate His spirit moving in my life. I begin with this thought because as I mused on the idea of faithfulness and what God teaches us about it in His word, I realized that it is His own character, demonstrated in the stories and teachings of the Bible, as well as in our own lives that shows us most what exactly the fruit that He wants to make evident in our own hearts should look like.

You could pick any story from the Bible, and find at the root that it teaches God is faithful. He is always true to His plan to bring us into fellowship with Him. First by creating us, then by withholding judgement until He could make a way to redeem, sanctify, and ultimately glorify us. Every moment of history points to His unending desire to know us and to have us know Him.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV) says, "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." This verse inspired the great hymn, "Great is thy Faithfulness" which I always find to be so encouraging.

Great is thy Faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not
As thou has been, thou forever wilt be.

Summer and Winter and Springtime and Harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars, in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To thy great faithfulness mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand besides.

Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is thy faithfulness
Lord, unto me!

And what better time of year to consider just how faithful God has been to us. Considering how faithless we sometimes are, and yet he continues to pour out on us His great love, His ever new compassions, His own hand providing what we truly need. I hope each of us will be able to reflect on His faithfulness and at the same time understand that He wants to impart that character onto us, His children.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday Digest 10

I am trying to stay in denial that "the holidays" are just around the corner. My holiday season actually begins back in September when my husband's birthday kicks off a monthly cascade of big events that I never feel quite prepared for...Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmast, all three kids birthdays, Valentine's Day...then I can breathe. I guess we've made it through the first two events, but those are just the lead up to the big hitters. I'm not completely following a holiday theme with this post, but I guess in some attempt to get myself in the spirit (read panic) of the season, I'll point you to the following links:



Holidays/Family or Social gatherings in general:

1) It seems like the holidays often make a perfect storm for hurtful comments and the ensuing havoc on personal relationships. This article helped me think about some ways to respond and offers advice on what to say "instead" of hurtful (even if well-intentioned) comments.



Thanksgiving "related":

2) One thing I'm thankful is around for my child today: Matteo's Dream playground, right here in our area. A while ago I blogged about a park like this up in Seattle. A friend of mine who helps organize Buddy Play invited us to attend an event at Matteo's Dream to make me aware of this special park just 20 minutes up the road for us. We went and of course my daughter loved it. She would live at a park if we'd let her, and one of her best buddies was there to boss around. One point that I hadn't considered before about a completely accessible playground is that parents or grandparents with physical challenges can more easily interact with their children, too. I saw a grandmother there with her motorized scooter and she was able to keep tabs on the child she was supervising.



3) One thing I'm thankful will be around for my child in the future: Capernaum, a ministry of Young Life that reaches out to special needs students. A friend of mine told me about this ministry some time ago, and this article jogged my memory. This story is specifically about a Capernaum group starting in Tempe, AZ. You can find out more about Capernaum at large here.



4) Some quotes and ideas about keeping the focus of Thanksgiving on gratitude, not turkey. I do not theologically agree with all of the sources of these quotes, or even with all of the quotes, but the goal of remembering that Thanksgiving should be about giving thanks is key.



Preparing for Christmas:

5) This year Advent begins on November 29 - the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I think Advent can be an excellent way to keep the focus of Christmas on Christ rather than the presents under the tree. This article gives some suggestions of ways to celebrate Advent with your child. I think they could be easily adapted to special needs children. I'm hoping to try one of the calendar ideas with my daughter. I'll let you know how it goes...