God's Little Seeds ! (Autism Awareness)

Your first child is born, and it's amazing the love you feel.
This perfect little angel is here, and you can't believe it's real.
The hopes and dreams seem endless, they could go for miles and miles.
You look around and everything is great, all you see are smiles.

Several months and diapers later, life is getting hard.
You're trying harder than most, but you've been dealt a different card.
Nobody understands, and gives you heaps of parental hints.
It seems everywhere you go, someone has to put in their two cents.

You aren't doing such a good job, of teaching this little child.
Nothing seems to be working right, and he's getting really wild.
He isn't learning not to do it again, when something isn't right.
He's bouncing off walls, and climbing high, you chase him with all your might.

The sweetness he has is something special, that you can't deny.
But life is hard, and you know it, and you can't help but wonder why.
You finally decide to get answers, to the doctor you will go.
After tests and papers, and strange looks, they tell you that they know.

This sweet, and energetic boy has a disability that lasts forever.
There are some things, for this little child, that he won't do, not ever.
You're told to hand him over to the experts that know of his kind.
They seem to think they know better, and that somehow you are blind.

At first you think they're right, and that they know what's best to do.
But you realize quickly he's your child, and in that way nothings new.
You've been with him from the start, and learned his special ways.
You know you can't hand him over now, you'll be there all his days.

You learn to be so happy, with every little gain.
You learn to see the things he's taught you, were worth all the pain.
You take each day, one at a time, the way it's supposed to be.
The things that others ignore, you find that you will see.

You thank God for the journey, he's brought you with this boy.
You thank Him for the sadness, that's now turned into joy.
When this boy smiles and gives you a hug, it's so wonderful to feel.
He's gone much farther than they said, and you know that this is real.

This isn't the end of the story, we have many years to go.
But God will be there with us, and that is what we know.
We've been allowed to be part of a very special plan.
We get to watch this wonderful boy, turn into a wonderful man...

Raising a child with autism can be emotionally draining on a parent, particularly when there is a communication delay involved. My friend's son is 3 years old and almost never uses words practically. He has only used a handful of words in his lifetime and has never spoken in a complete sentence. He has never said "I love you" to me or his mother, never sings his favorite songs and never speaks of what he experiences in his own little world.

Despite the difficulty inherent in raising a child with autism I am convinced that any parent can find the Love in his or her Heart required to do such a task. Despite the language barriers a parent will also know that his or her Love is not being cast into a vacuum but, rather, that Love is returned and multiplied a hundred fold.Hopfully this poem is a testimony of this truth.

Our children are God's greatest gift to us. No matter how they are packaged, this truth does not change. Be grateful; Love, honor, and cherish them. If you child, is not perfect or what you hoped for, God has not punished, you for past deeds. He has given you an opportunity that you may not yet understand. Make the most of the situation, for you are in it for a purpose, and there are rewards, that you never imagined possible.God is faithful ! Keep the faith & trust in the Lord at all times...

" HEAVENS VERY SPECIAL CHILD " (A Short Poem)

A meeting was held, quite far from Earth!
It's time again, for another birth.
Said the Angels, to the Lord above,
This special child will need much Love.
His progress may be very slow,
Accomplishments he may not show.
And he'll require extra care
From the folks he meets down there.
He may not run or laugh or play,
His thoughts may seem, quite far away,
In many ways he won't adapt,
And he'll be known as handicapped.
So let's be careful where he's sent,
We want his life to be content.
Please Lord, find the parents who
Will do a special job for you.
They will not realize right away
The leading role they're asked to play,
But with this child sent from above
Comes stronger faith and richer Love.
And soon they'll know the privilege given
In caring for their gift from Heaven.
Their precious charge, so meek and mild,
Is HEAVEN'S VERY SPECIAL CHILD...

(FROM THE HEART)

Mom please don't cry
You may never know how much " I Love you ".
For those 3 words I may not speak from my lips
My Heart beats unconditionally for you.
For I am here, there, and everywhere;
But yet I am nowhere....
I do not exist with other people.
I do not exist with myself.
For I am only 3 years old this year.

No place is my home.I seek a safe place to hide.
I am out-of-place everywhere.
I walk down the street.But sometimes I run.
I climb on everything I see.Am I spider man.
I run like the wind as if someone is chasing me,
I sometimes go to church with my family too.
I love playing with my siblings every day.

But no matter where I go or where I am,
I feel so alone, distant from all others.
Do I act as if I'm okay and normal, Maybe not
I go through the proper motions, I play my part;
But in reality, people everywhere stop and stare.

Hardly anyone understands what my autistic life
Is actually like, and I am not sure that even I do.
I am: therefore I exist. But what does that mean?
I am constantly lost in a world that is not really there.
I am floating within a timeless fog of non-existence.
I have nowhere to go, and nowhere to be.

I wish sometimes that God would of let me die
Not born into a world where beauty is so envied, treasured.
I try to speak my mind but the words just don't come out,
God, I know deep from inside how much you Love me
I only want a chance to be loved and accepted by all.
I can only imagine one day where there will be a cure for me
I pray that this disease that affects so many will be no more
But for now I must have hope and much faith for a better future.
Mother please don't cry for me, just hold me close again tonight !

How do I spell A.U.T.I.S.M. ?

A

I have to say the first emotion I felt was Anger, I was angry that this
had happened to me, I had been so careful,
I made an appointment with my doctor, when I was barely a month along,
I took good care of myself, I ate well,
and didn't abuse my body with drugs or alcohol, or smoking.
I felt such rage at first, this was not fair,
some women neglected themselves, and didn't care for the child inside,
and their child was perfect. Why not mine?

U

Unbelief..... denial...........you name it, I felt it. This was not
happening to me, I would wake up in the night, and it would hit me, my
child has autism, and then I would plug my ears, trying to stop the
voices in my head, I would bury my head in the pillow, refusing to
believe this was happening to us. It took me a long time to let it sink
in, and to this day, I sometimes forget, and then the realization hits
me, and it knocks me to my knees again. It takes all my strength to get
up. But I do, because I have to, I have to be there for my child.

T

Of course the tears, tears of rage, panic, frustration. Gut wrenching
tears in the middle of the night, somehow it always seems worse in the
night. The house is quiet at last, and there is time to think, to
ponder, to pray. Tears though are such a relief, without their outlet, I
would have gone crazy. But, I have held them back so many times, in a
store when someone makes a cruel remark,
or a child who approaches mine, then backs off with that 'look' on his face.
I refuse to cry then, because I still have my pride, and it although it
is tattered, I cling to it like a security blanket.

I

Isolation, oh yes, the isolation. Friends seemed to disappear into thin
air, when they found out.
Sometimes I wanted to scream "It's not catching, " but they wouldn't hear
me, they were too busy keeping their child away from mine. The phone
stopped ringing too, and people would turn away at Church, avert their
eyes when my child had a tantrum. The isolation is the hardest
thing.......... being alone hurts. At the time in my life when I needed
friends and family the most, the pain of them looking the other way, was
indescribable. But I have found friends, people who know the path I
take, for it is their journey too. For this blessing I am so grateful.
These are the true friends, the ones who are there for me, when life is
unbearable.

S

Sadness and Solace, I have felt the sadness of knowing my child will not
be like other children, I have wept many tears for him. I have spent my
waking hours, and sleepless nights worrying about his future, who will
care for him, what kind of adult will he be? Will someone be there for
him, when I am gone? There is such pain in not knowing, there is nothing
so hard for a parent, than realizing that one day, you will not be there
to take care of your child. And knowing that this child will always need
your care. But there is Solace too, and I have felt this peace,
I have learned to accept this Autism, I cannot erase it,
nor will I embrace it. But I have come to a feeling of peace, and I go on.

M

Mercy and Magic, Have mercy on me, It's so hard to raise a child when
others look on, and instead of holding out a hand to help, they stand in
judgment. Don't judge me, when my child acts out, when he screams
because something has changed in his environment, he doesn't do it
purposefully, he is only reacting to his feelings. I am a good mother, I
love my child like you love yours, I want the best for him, yet I cannot
give in to him. He looks to me and I must teach him,
just as you teach your child. I may do it differently,
because my child is different. He learns in his own way,
and I have to teach him in a way that to others may seem odd, or unusual.

Magic? Oh yes, there is magic. I have seen my child blossom, I have
seen him learn, I have watched his wonder, and rejoiced in his small
steps. His smile is magic, and his heart is gold.
I did not choose this journey, but somehow it is mine, and I must see the
roses, as I walk upon the rocky pathway. I did not ask for this, but it
was given to me, and I must be strong enough to bear it. If I cannot,
then I am lost, if I give up, who will take my place?
There is enough joy, if I look for it....... it will find me.

"Beautiful Lesson"

(Something to think about)

This is a story from a book written in 1875 by a man named Robert Boyd. It's
called the "Trials and Triumphs of Faith." It's put me in tears, more than once.A minister tells us that he was spending several days in one of our western
cities. He put up at a hotel, and one morning he heard, while up in his
room, the most wonderful whistling he had ever listened to. It seemed like
the note of a bird, but he thought it could not be that, for there was a
perfectly regular tune kept up with much power. Though he was in the third
story, yet the music came gushing up in its sweet melody, and seemed to fill
the whole house. He ran downstairs to get a sight of the wonderful
performer, looking every man that he met in the face. At last, he asked the
clerk who it was that had such amazing power as a whistler. Laughing at his
simplicity he pointed him to a canary bird that had been trained to perform
in this way, and was valued at $150."How was that bird trained to sing this way?" the gentleman enquired. In
reply the clerk told him that during the training process the bird is nearly
starved and shut up in a room that is almost dark. While it is under this
severe discipline, and its attention undivided, a bird organ is made to play
this one tune over and over again, for days. Hearing nothing else, and
taught by his troubles, the poor little bird takes up the tune, which he
performs so perfectly.Thus it is that God permits his people to be afflicted that they may learn
the heavenly song. He shuts them up in the dark room of sorrow, away from
the tempting sights and sounds of the world, that they may, without
distraction, listen to his voice and learn to sing the higher melodies of
glory. Blessed are those who patiently wait the Lord's good time to work out
their deliverance. When the song of Grace is fully learned, he brings them
into a large place, sets their feet upon a rock, and others learn from them
the sweet song of redeeming Love...
May God give us Peace each day through our troubled World.

May God Give us Strength to endure the trials, and struggles from day to day.

May God give us Refuge, release our fears, our anxieties, when there's danger and distress.

May God give us Comfort where there's suffering and despair.

May God give us Joy to live each moment, to cherish the blessings He grants us around every corner.

May God give us Guidance to live each day productively and whole.

May God give us Faith to know He is always there day and night.

May God give us Hope to live a better tomorrow- opening up our hearts- to His Love.

May God give us Peace each day through our troubled World.
May God Give Us Peace !

Be Blessed & take care !

Peace & Love always,

Brother Anthony (Phil.4:13)

P.S. friends I hope this bulletin and these poems touched your Hearts today.Perhaps now you will be even more aware of autism in the world.There are many lives , especially children who are affected.An autistic child is someone who needs lots of Love, compassion, and guidance.They are God's beautiful children...Please pray for all those who have autism and their families too.If you would kindly repost this bulletin to support Autism Awareness that would be a blessing and greatly appreciated.Let's find a cure soon !!!