Autism Awareness Month is behind us now; the conference speakers have packed up their projectors, the empty bottles have all been counted, volunteers have all gone home and we get to take a little break for a couple months. But all in all our Celebrate the Spectrum was a wonderful success; we look so forward to next year.
And Same Child, Different Day took the spotlight the final evening. But what was to mostly be a night of me reading from the booklet turned into a wonderful sharing session. Heidi spoke at length about her son Eli, and the pictures she provided were a wondeful touch. Jen shared a poem she wrote which made everyone cry. My Mom shared a newspaper article with a very positive outlook. Mike gave an anecdote that was also quite inspiring. And several others joined in the converation as well.
That's what it's about, after all: the sharing and support we all give each other as loved ones experiencing the same "different" days. Sure, all our kids are at different places on the spectrum. Some of us embrace the public and can't wait to enlighten others. Then there are those families however, who have decided that home is the best place to stay; and maybe these events didn't change that way of thinking at all. We're hopeful that they did, but if not, our number one goal was to show you that we're in this together.
No two ASD kids are alike, and it's those differences that bring us together. If all we showed our new friends is that they have someone to turn to, then the entire month was worth it.
Either way, see you next April!
~ Jon
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