The journey that the autism diagnosis sends the parent on is unparallelled -- there is no other like it, and yours is yours alone, as no two journeys are ever the same. It is difficult to express what the path is like, but a few words come to mind when I think of my own journey, the one I travel with my family, with my two precious special autistic ones.
Daunting.
Demanding.
Unknowing.
Mysterious.
Haunting.
Beautiful.
Mindful.
Devotional.
Expansive.
Awakening.
Personal.
Evolutionary.
Those are but a few of my words. Other autism parents have their own.
There is one more word, one that I have come
to understand and embody. It is less a word and more a sentiment, a way of moving forward, a way of being in life when living isn't much about being and more about surviving.
That word is: Hope…
"Hope is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I've heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me
~Emily Dickenson
I have hope, so much hope, for my children and all children and all people the world over. As an autism parent I have striven for clarity, for understanding, for light in the darkest of hours. I have striven to hear the song of Hope in the strange Sea of the unknown. I have striven to feel the warmth of Hope in the cold and desperate moments. Without Hope, I would be lost.
I am honored to have the story of our family be included in this new, unique and amazing autism support website.
I am impressed by the enormity of its scope.
I am excited by the tremendous amount of useful information it presents.
I am gladdened that others out there, living with autism, directly or by association, now have a wonderful, easy-to-navigate resource for answers, ideas and options.
I am thrilled that my family and I are part of something so dynamic and so profoundly needed.
I am humbled to be a part of something that, if nothing else, inspires so much Hope.
I want to thank Mark Jonathon Harris for his extraordinary vision to understand and see the need for such a website, and for his tenacity and passion to get it done.
I am grateful to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for providing funding for a such a much-needed and important autism support website.
I want to thank our friend and filmmaker, Nando Grancelli, for capturing such a moving portrayal of our life at that time.
I'd like to thank all the hardworking autism professionals, educators and students at USC and the USC School of Cinematic Arts who made this dream into a concrete reality. Kudos to all of you!
Sometimes you discover the journey. Sometimes you seek the journey. Sometimes you are thrust forth on the journey whether you want to be on it or not. Whatever got you on the journey, whatever
compelled you to take it, whatever keeps you on it, there are certain truths all who travel come to understand -- you never know where the journey may take you, and you are never without Hope.
Hope lives in your heart. It asks
nothing of you in return, other than you carry it inside you. Sometimes, especially in those dark places we must travel, we need a reminder that it’s there,
that we have it, that it’s still a part of us.
When we do, the road isn't so dark anymore, and light begins to appear, and our path gets a bit easier. This site, this incredibly beautiful site, is a great reminder.
Please come by and watch our documentary at the link below:
And when you are done, watch all the other great and informative videos as well.
And then, share! Share with everyone you know!
Raise Awareness.
And inspire HOPE.
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