Autism Awareness Month 2014

Welcome to the Land of Sunshine! Today is International Autism Awareness Day, which I thought was as good a time as any to start sharing some thoughts on the topic.

My daughter has autism. She also has brown hair, blue eyes, a twisted sense of humor, an enormous overflow of empathy, and an incredible artist eye. She is a lesson in patience, a constant reminder of the impact of our words, and my endless source of joy. It took almost 18 years to get here, but it was worth every minute. How, you ask, did i turn a potentially devastating diagnosis into something so amazing? Sunshine. And lots of hard work. Don't get me wrong, I am far from perfect. But enough things went well in raising my daughter (and enough people held my hand along the way) that she has been able to take her gifts and soar. 

I made a conscious decision early in my daughter's life to be positive. I decided I would gather as much information as I could get my hands on, talk to as many professionals as would take time to speak with me, and develop a network of kindness with which to surround her. In my blog I intend to share some of the wonderful resources that have made a difference in our family, as well as try to keep up with more current data and tricks of the trade. I hope to touch your heart, offer glimmers of hope, and loads of smiles. 

Here's to my 1 in 68!