Hope Chest Keepsakes

Realization

January 2, 2012

Something occurred to me today, and is settling in nicely with my outlook: God has a much stronger grip on my son that autism does. I am so thankful for God's grace. Here are some of the ways I have seen God's amazing grace in my son in the last couple of months:

1 - My son expressed on his AAC device, completely unprompted, "I want to go to ToysRus." AWESOME! I laughed and laughed, thinking to myself, "Now THAT is as NORMAL as it gets for a 7 year-old boy! That is a reflection of Nathan, NOT autism." It was a sweet, sweet reminder to me that Nathan is "Nathan", not "autism walking". We try so hard to support him and bridge any gaps, that we sometimes take for granted all that he is and is NOT...and all the wonderful things about him,t him that are not focused on his autism...and there he was, front and center....my 7 year old son, "Nathan".

2 - A few days later, Nathan again used his device, but this time to invite me to play on the computer with him. He used proper grammatic structure, punctuation, and a huge smile!

3 - He requested independently the iPad, and later the iPOD, and even later the "BLACK iphone, NOT the PURPLE one". WOW! Apple would be SO PROUD!!!

4 - He actually SAID with his own voice, "my mommy". I have proceeded to obsessively replay that moment in my head again, and again, and again.....I can't stop just enjoying that memory! It was fantastic!

5 - Nathan has decided to call his sister something he can actually say verbally - "Ba-ba", and his father, "Papa". They are both grinning ear to ear these days over it!

6 - At school, my son actually said "bye-bye" in a natural voice. It was not high-pitched and did not have an ackward melody to his voice. It was a voice of a typical little boy. Shocking!

7 - He has had pockets of real connection where he enganged deeply with me in activities, like helping in the kitchen. He giggled when I let hm help me put food onto his plate and let him carry the plate to the table. I am learning to let go more and to hold back on anticipating his needs to much. It's a process, but I am trying and I am learning. His smile and giggles reinforce the reality that this is good for him...and me!

There is so much to be thankful for, even more than I can possibly type here. Still, I just know that God's grip is firm on him, and on me. Praise God!

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