Psalm 90:12 "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom"
Time is precious. Time is fleeting.
Some days time feels terribly slow as it creeps by in the dullest of moments. Some days time is frightfully quick, causing us to wonder how we arrived at that very moment we happen to be in..... I've decided that time, for our Bella, is a splendid thing.
It may seem meaningless to write about time, but I truly cherish the "ticking of the clock". It is a constant reminder of my lack of control. I do wish some days that I could slow the clock's ticking so that Bella could have "more moments" to get caught up in life and development. Every day that passes is a good day for her because she acquires knowledge....but oh how they pass so quickly. Every night when we pray for her little brain to catch up, I am reminded of the limits of this life and the lack of control we possess to help our girl develop (as God is the ultimate keeper of time). As I read Psalm 90:12, I quickly became thankful for the way Bella reminds me to number not only her days, but also my own. To count them as precious. To ask for a heart of wisdom to be her parents....no, to be her guardians (after-all, God chose us for her).
This month, time caught up with us and Bella graduated from preschool. A snippet of her life I will forever cherish. She has come a long way from this little girl:
She is growing in grace, patience, and wisdom. She speaks in short sentences and rarely experience tantrums like the one above. She likes to dress like a princess, wear high heels, dance when her favorite songs come on, and makes us laugh out loud daily--to God be the glory:
Two proud parents!
I mean the cuteness factor....I can't take it!
Number your days friends... We waste so much time that could be spent loving and cherishing moments:)
Wandering, elopement, running-off.... whatever you want to call it, it's scary. For autism families, a child wandering away from the parent is not only scary, it's deadly. It's not that we don't pay attention to our kids, we do... it's just that they are CONSTANTLY wandering and lack the capacity to understand fear/danger. Kids with autism wander for many reasons (get away from sounds, find a sensory stimulus (water), or just plain curiosity). The problem is, many of these kids are either non-verbal or non-responsive to strangers. When I see an alert in the news regarding a missing ASD kiddo, I actually have a hard time watching it.... I can just visualize my sweet Bella in the situation and frankly the thought of her missing for even a second, is too much to bare:( Did you know that wandering (or "elopement) is now the LEADING CAUSE of death for children on the autism spectrum. With recent news of children, much like our sweet Bella, wandering and being found dead in surrounding bodies of water I was prompted to "do something". My sweet mom found an emergency tool kit called the Big Red Safety Box that is offered by the National Autism Association. This tool kit (which is outlined below) can be ordered by ASD families (free of charge) and used in case of elopement. Please read below and order one, autism moms and dads! OR If you know a family who has a child/teen/adult with ASD, pass this along. I can't resist in sharing something that could save a life!
Here's how to apply:Apply Here (only direct family can apply)
NAA’s Big Red Safety Box includes the following resources:
1) Our Get REDy booklet containing the following educational materials and tools:
A caregiver checklist
A Family Wandering Emergency Plan
A first-responder profile form
A wandering-prevention brochure
A sample IEP Letter
2) Two (2) Door/Window Alarms with batteries
3) One (1) RoadID Personalized, Engraved Shoe ID Tag*
4) Five (5) Laminated Adhesive Stop Sign Visual Prompts for doors and windows
5) Two (2) Safety Alert Window Clings for car or home windows
6) One (1) Red Safety Alert Wristband
*You will receive instructions to submit a custom personalization order online at roadid.com. Your tag will be quickly engraved with your emergency information and mailed to you at no charge.
Regardless of any tools caregivers may have in place, if a loved one’s medical condition interferes with their ability to recognize danger or stay safe, it is critical that caregivers maintain close supervision and security in all settings. For more information and ways to prevent wandering-related incidents, please visit http://awaare.org
Those diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, and who are at risk of wandering/bolting from a safe environment, qualify to receive a Big Red Safety Box while supplies allow. Limit One (1) box per family. Recipients must agree to terms and conditions. Please allow two to three weeks for your Big Red Safety Box request to be processed.
NAA’s Big Red Safety Boxes are packaged and shipped with care by a company employing adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. (LOVE THIS)
I (Annie) am planning on getting local law enforcement involved in my hometown. I'm sure they have training programs but, with the amount of autism/PDD families here in my city, you can never be too safe! NAA offers a kit for law enforcement if you want to share it with them in your area:LAW ENFORCEMENT KIT
If you do not have a child with autism but wish to donate to this amazing cause (to help NAA fund the kits for families like ours) visit: This link
I try not to get too political on this blog, but some issues go beyond politics. I may offend some of you, and I secretly hope I do (sweet smile/timid wink). First, I want you to take 20 minutes of your time (which I know is precious) and watch this video. I am not pushing my agenda on you because, after all, you are choosing to read/watch what I posted.... and this is totally my opinion. I just wish for you to view it with an open heart. It might just break it.
As you know, I am pregnant. Seeing the images of these innocent victims hurts me. It makes me want to speak comfort to the unborn (but divinely created) child inside of my womb. I refuse to call my 13 week old child, a fetus. It's offensive to me.
Here's what I believe about what happens inside a pregnant woman's womb (at any gestation).
Psalm 139:13-16
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
God had our ALL of our days ordained for us BEFORE one of them came to be. Even the babies conceived out of passion, hate, envy, confusion, drunkenness....the list goes on, He knew. Every moment being planned out by the Creator, God.
If you watched the video, you would have seen images from Dr. Gosnell's late term abortion procedures. Babies born viable in life, breathing, cooing and then snip.... scissors cut the spinal cord behind the neck as they squirm in pain until they bleed out, brain dead. What!? Does that make you cringe inside? Why? Well, because there is something inherently wrong with ending such an innocent LIFE. Little babies fully dependent on us from the moment of conception taken from the earth as quickly as they came. I cannot bare this thought.
Ok so here's the dilemma friends....why does this story shock us when early term abortions equate to the same ending? It just happens to be on the inside.... they still feel it:(
Praise God for his mercy and miraculous forgiveness. Many women have walked through the doors of a clinic (probably one more sanitary and professional than this one) and been educated on the simple procedure to remove the "fetus" within them. What they are not informed about is the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual pain that follows this decision (as you saw from the moms in the video). I am thankful today for Pregnancy Resource Centers across the globe (like the one my mom runs Alpha Women's Center) that offer these same mothers other options: life, adoption, hope.... and for women who have already walked the path of abortion: Christ's forgiveness. Let me be clear on this, nothing can seperate us from the love of God, not even abortion. He offers a new life with a hope that washes away our past, Jesus.
Thanks for listening:) You may not agree with my viewpoint, but it's something to consider. Why is this doctor getting charged with murder because the infants are killed OUTSIDE the woman's body, at a later gestation? Why do we charge murderers who kill pregnant women with two counts of murder?
Oh sadness.
While some pregnancy center's offer hope... here's what Planned Parenthood supports:
