A New Adventure

It's summer break at our home. For the next few weeks, my wife and I will take turns staying home to care for our 16 year old son, Zachary. "The Zachster," as we affectionately call him, has low functioning autism and requires 24-hour care. He is non-verbal as far as words and sentences are concerned, but makes his needs known through a series of grunts, motions, and sometimes (okay, often) crying and screaming. Our greatest frustration is not being able to communicate with him on even an elementary level.

But this morning... SCORE! While I was busy in the kitchen, The Zachster brought me his laundry basket full of dirty clothes and set it down at my feet. Message: "Dad, I'm running out of clean shirts!" That's communication! It's breakthrough! Okay, so it seems like a silly thing to celebrate. But let me ask you parents of teenagers... how many of your kids willingly take care of their laundry?

I thought so. Listen, we take the victories where we can get them. And that's what this blog is about - celebrating our children with disabilities. It's about focusing on the positives; the things our Heavenly Father would have us learn, the ways He would have us grow spiritually through the testings and trials of loving someone who is unable to give very much back.

My new book, "Healed by Autism" is all about hope. It's based on God's eternal promise in Romans 8:28 that He works all thing for the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Through the power of stories, I hope to share with you how God has healed our home, and brought light to many others by simply loving us through our difficulties. Come along on the journey with us. We would love to hear from you.

"Healed by Autism" is available by following this link. Or, send me a message here. I would love to send you a personalized signed copy. And don't be bashful about sharing your stories here as well.