Five Hundred

On June 13, 2010, I posted my first blog entry on One Autism Mom’s Notes. When I wrote that initial entry, Alex was eighteen years old and doing quite well after some trying teenage years. I thought we had come to a point in our lives where we could breathe easy and keep moving forward. With a little more free time on my hands, I decided to create a blog where I could write about Alex and how autism had impacted our family life. My hope was that by sharing our experiences and the things we had learned along the way, our stories might help other families dealing with autism. Moreover, I wanted to write a history for Alex so that he could see how far he has come in the years since his diagnosis with autism at age four.

Now nearly eight years later, this is the five hundredth blog post I’ve written. When I began writing about Alex, I had no idea that I would have enough to say for five hundred essays. Moreover, I had no idea that we still had struggles ahead of us, especially a terribly turbulent time in which anxiety overtook Alex and made him aggressive and wildly unpredictable. As parents we had to make our most difficult decision: to hospitalize him for several weeks in the behavioral medicine ward of a nearby hospital in the spring of 2012. However, this heart-wrenching time led us to professionals who could help Alex, and this was the beginning of new healing for him––truly a blessing in disguise.

Over the past 499 essays, I’ve shared the good, the bad, and the ugly as candidly as possible in hopes that other parents won’t feel alone in dealing with the obstacles their children face with autism. I’ve also passed along research and methods I’ve found interesting or helpful, just as I would pass along a great recipe for cookies. With each research study I read, in my optimistically Pollyanna way, I believe that I’m going to stumble onto something that will not only make Alex better, but also aid other children and adults dealing with autism. Consequently, I keep reading, researching, and writing about autism, waiting for a cure.

In thinking about this 500 milestone, I wanted to celebrate with five unexpected blessings that have occurred in writing this blog. First, I have been amazed to see my words go out into the world, where they––according to the Blogspot stats––have been read on six continents. (I’m guessing the folks in Antarctica have more important things to do, like keeping warm, instead of reading my blog, so I’m good with that.) When I was happily working at the “Be Creative” table as a third grader, wondering if anyone other than my teachers and my mom would ever read my writings, I never dreamed that people in countries I had to find on a map would read my work. I’m honored and awed by that.

Secondly, when I was a college student working on my undergraduate and graduate degrees in English, I had a keen interest in psychology and took as many elective psychology classes as I could fit in my schedule. I’m sure that was God’s plan because those courses have come in handy in dealing with and understanding a child whose brain works differently than most and whose development has followed a unique pattern. Moreover, the terminology I learned has proven useful in reading autism research. Imagine my surprise and delight in being contacted by a psychiatrist in Australia who wanted to use an excerpt from one of my blog entries as part of an online psychology textbook. Dr. Joseph Rey, the Head of Psychiatry at The University of Notre Dame School of Medicine in Sydney, requested my essay on Theory of Mind to be included in The IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health published online in 2014. For this work, Dr. Rey received the 2014 International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines (IACAPAP) International Contribution Award. To have my writing published in such a distinguished textbook is an opportunity I never would have dreamed could happen.

Another awesome connection made because of the blog has been one with author Marjorie Ingall. In the summer of 2012, Marjorie contacted me after reading my blog and wanted to interview me for an article about autism she was writing for a magazine. Her warmth and humor made our phone conversations comfortable and pleasant, as though we were old friends. Those interviews became a feature article in the November 2012 issue of Woman’s Day magazine in which Marjorie told our family’s story skillfully and compassionately. In her own blog on October 19, 2012, Marjorie describes the connection we found as mothers during the interview process. Not only did I appreciate the kind words she offered about me, but her description of my blog also made me smile: “Her blog is full of evidence of her Christian faith––each post ends with a Biblical quote, and there’s a whole lotta Jesus going on...” Despite our differences in religious backgrounds––her Jewish faith and my Protestant faith––God knew we would appreciate each other and brought us together through the blog.

Besides getting to meet some very interesting and talented new people, including some wonderful autism parents, One Autism Mom’s Notes has helped me reconnect with old friends. My best friend from college with whom I’d lost touch over the years, emailed me after seeing an article about my blog in our college alumni magazine and introduced me to one of her closest friends, who is also an autism mom. Also, one of my good friends from junior high contacted me after reading the Woman’s Day article and the blog; she, too, is raising a child with autism. The demands of raising a child with autism makes maintaining friendships challenging; being able to get back in touch with old friends has truly been a blessing.

However, the greatest blessing of all has been seeing God’s promises fulfilled over the years as Alex has made progress. Through the challenges, trials, and uncertainties, God has been faithful to our family and brought us through it all. While our faith has been mightily tested at times, we always knew that God’s plans were better than our own, and we knew that He was looking out for Alex’s best interests. In those times that we wavered and wondered whether he heard our prayers, we only needed to listen to Alex’s earnest bedtime prayers, filled with childlike faith, to carry us through. As we celebrate Palm Sunday today and anticipate Easter, remembering the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know that with God, nothing is impossible. Consequently, we continue to put our hope and trust in Him, knowing that He will always take care of us, just as He always has in the past. With that in mind, we know that Alex’s future will, indeed, be bright.

To those who have read my blog, written or said kind comments, and encouraged me, I truly appreciate your support. Special thanks go to my husband and my mom not only for reading every single one of the five hundred at least twice, proofreading carefully, but also for the constant source of unconditional love, strength, and faith you provide Alex and me. I thank God every day for the three of you and what blessings you are!

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12