Doctors Appointments and The Changing of a Dream

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.
-Helen Keller

Addi and Spencer had their 3 month check with Dr. Hulsman yesterday. Spencer had an ATEC in the 40s during our last visit. This visit it was 24. His "social score" was a 1 and Dr. Hulsman told me that he was almost off of the spectrum. Music to my ears. He will be starting chelation this next week. We are going to go nice and slow. It may take us awhile, but this will help his communication and brain fog.

Addi's ATEC was in the 60s when we started and she was 44 yesterday. We are still having problems with her screaming. We are trying some adrenal support. I think this has already helped her. We had not started her supplements for this, but she found the bottle and emptied it on the floor upstairs. Most of the capsules were opened. If that is all it takes to get them to take their supplements then I should just give them a spoon and let them play with all of them. The screaming is down today and she slept in her own bed all night last night.

We also got a new vitamin supplement. Everyone but Taylor likes the new vitamin. I am learning that he does not like the orange flavor. It is berry all the way for him. I am looking for a gummy vitamin for him that does not contain corn syrup, so if there are any suggestions please let me know.

Over all we were very pleased with the visit. She also gave us a prescription for a drug for Taylor. We are hoping that it will give him a sense of calmness making it easier for us to get the supplements down him. We will see what happens.

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I have always had a heart for missionaries. I would have gone in an instant if I had been called, but I wasn't. Since I was not called I wanted to have a home that could house missionaries when they were home on leave. This grew into a dream to have a place that they could bring their families for a time of R&R. God has taken my vision and tweaked it a bit. I still want to have a place where people can come for R&R, but God has changed my focus group.

Because of the boys and their Autism, God has put a very special place in my heart for the parents of special needs children. I do not necessarily have a heart for the children themselves. I do love them, but my concern is for their parents. The divorce rate for families with special needs children is higher than the national average. The stresses and heartache that these parents experience are much more than the stresses of normal life.

Yesterday on Dr. Phil there was a couple whose son was born without the division between the frontal lobes in his brain. Most of the time these children die in the womb or shortly after birth. The fact that this child has lived this long is a miracle. They love day by day not knowing how much longer their son will be with them. The dad has turned to alcohol for escape. The mom takes out the brunt of her frustration on the dad which drives him to drink even more. It is a vicious cycle.

What I saw was a couple who was hurting and needed a break. They needed time to reconnect and time to take a break together. They needed encouragement that their feelings are natural and all parents have them. (even those without special needs kids). They needed a place to vent and they needed a place to have someone wrap them in the love of Christ. They needed to know that no matter what happened that there would be people out there that still loved them and would be there when they felt like they could not go on.

This is the kind of place that I want to have. I want to pamper the moms and give the dads time to pursue some of the things that they have had to put on hold. I want to give them a time where they can get some help for their relationship. I want them to be able to go out on a date together. I want to provide some respite care for the children by people who are trained in handling their particular situation so that the parents can relax and know that their children are well cared for.

I think that this is the greatest thing that we can do for these children. It will give them peace in the home and take the stresses off of them. Stress is one of the worst thing for special needs children so if we can help their parents we can help them.

It is only in "dream" stage right now. I don't know how God is going to bring it about, but it will be exciting to be part of it.