Yesterday morning I watched my son walk into his school independently, meaning no one held his hand to keep him from running off into the oblivion. Three days ago he started reading. Last weekend, we took family pictures, and he was the only kid who followed our directions. Last week, he told me and my mom the time, reading it off a roman numeral clock. This past month he has started joking around, perfecting some killer dance moves, clearly expressing when he doesn't feel well, answering yes and no consistently (HUGE in the autism world), asking for snuggles and so much more.
I've been reflecting on a podcast I heard a while back where a travel videographer who has a son with autism described her son's interactions with children in other countries as a glimpse of what's to come in Heaven. Her son is verbally delayed and much of what he says can only be understood by those close to him; however, when he speaks his "gibberish" as she calls it to children with no knowledge of the English language, they just assume they can't understand his language. There is no judgement and no anxiety over how to play with someone who is a little different. A glimpse of Heaven for sure where it will not matter what language we spoke or if we used words to communicate at all here on Earth. Our words will surely ring out clearly and beautifully in praise. I know I cling to this hope. While there is beauty in this life with autism, and I know my son was perfectly made, I look forward to the day he is free of the anxiety that riddles his brain and the pain he feels when the words just won't come. I know many others who feel the same way, some who have never heard their child's voice. So I find myself wondering why all of a sudden I am getting this burst of victories Earth-side. Why me? My spiritual life is definitely not the model of perfection. It's not really about me though is it? This is part of Will's plan, a huge step in this difficult but glorious journey he is on. I feel it so deeply in my bones that this boy is going to have a supernatural impact on someone, something, the world? I don't know. I just keep praying that God would make him brave and give Matt and me the wisdom to guide him and his brother who is proving to us he will be his brother's partner in life. This kid is magic, and I'm so lucky to be along for the ride.
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Charming, quirky and incredibly loving. Will loves his friends, swimming, the iPad, the Avett Brothers, observing the world upside down, climbing, jumping and being chased.
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October 2017
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