We Have Each Other

On Monday, I wrote this: Autism has not ruined my life.

I must have hit on something.  Because I got the most wonderful outpouring of love from mamas and dads and adults who feel the same.

And I got that feeling again.  The one I get when I realize there's an army of people standing with me, shoulder to shoulder, supporting each other.  The feeling I get when one of us leans just a little or another buckles over and everyone pushes closer together to help.

I have minutes, days, weeks when I buckle.  When I feel isolated, left out of the group, on the sidelines, running after my child, while everyone else is chatting, eating, relaxing, laughing.  When I want to take part in the girls' nights, the family gatherings, the movie nights with my husband, but I can't.  When I feel like I'm doing everything, just everything, and nothing is working out like I thought.  When I am plain worn out.

And then something happens, like Monday, that reminds me.  We have each other.  No matter where we are in relationship to autism, no matter how much support our child needs, no matter the diagnoses, no matter the challenges.  We have each other.

We encourage each other.  We celebrate together.  We learn, we grow, we understand.  We stand, heads upturned, gazing in amazement at the glorious stars in the night sky that are our children.

And for those who can't yet see the stars, we stand beside them, raise our arm beside their head, guide their view along our outstretched finger.

You see that star, right there?  The bright one?  Keep your eye on him.  I'll hold you up.



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