My son Patrick recently was asked to serve on a panel that discussed the experiences and advice of young adults with autism. The three young men and one young woman spoke to a room full of parents and caregivers at the monthly meeting of the Rowan County Chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina. […]
Tag Archives | autism
Nothing is Impossible with God!
Eighteen years ago, doctors told us our son Patrick was autistic, mentally retarded, and might not ever speak. A few weeks ago, Patrick graduated magna cum laude from Pfeiffer University. He sang “Corner of the Sky” at commencement, which is all about finding your place in this world. Those in attendance gave him a standing […]
Why a Heroine with Borderline Autism?
Powerful. Riveting. And the main character has autism. My author friend Kimberly Rae has just released a new book entitled Abnormal Results. As the parent of autistic child, I am so impressed by how accurately Kimberly portrays the world of autism. I fell in love with the main character Victoria and found myself cheering her on as […]
Choosing to Love
The Kinsley Bear I received the bear pictured at the top of this blogpost a couple weeks ago. It means a great deal to me because it was given from a place of great pain . . . and tremendous love. The bear is called the “Kinsley Bear,” named after a local couple’s beautiful newborn […]
It’s Good to Need Comforting
Are you hurting and in need of comfort? Good! . . . because the Lord is doing something special in that place. This past Sunday, Patrick and I got to share our story with the members of Faith Lutheran Church in Faith, NC. As I watched the members of that sweet congregation respond to our […]

Becoming More Aware and Accepting of Autism
Patrick and his sisters How did my daughters learn to be more aware and accepting of the challenges their brother faced with his autism? Since today, April 2, is World Autism Awareness and Acceptance Day, I would like to post the chapter from my book, “Optimism for Autism,” which shows how that happened. May all […]

Persevering with the Lord
This photo of my son Patrick and husband David was taken at Patrick’s conference swim meet last week. Their smiles came in the wake of some personal triumphs for Patrick . . . victories that were hard won by persevering with Lord. The conference swim meet is the “holy grail” for the Varsity Swim Team […]

Triumphing in the Long Trial
Patrick and I Stephanie Seneff, a lead researcher at MIT, recently predicted that HALF the children in the United States will be autistic by the year 2025. When I heard that shocking prediction, I thought of the many families that are and will be affected by that challenging disability. My family has been living with […]