07/19/2017
This piece below, church family, is why we have a Special Needs ministry and why we work to raise money for the Joni and Friends Family Retreat every year. These are the words of Joseph Blake, the father of one of our teenagers. Please take the time to read them and pray for our special needs families. May they always feel loved and welcomed at our church.
"The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want"
I haven't been posting lately.
But I feel I have a good reason.
For those of you who don't know, the Lord in his wisdom has seen fit to bless us with six children. Thier all grown now for the most part.
We do still have two at home.
Erin, one of our daughters, who is an amazing young lady who does well in every endeavor she puts her mind to. Very talented.
And Josh.
Josh is the primary reason that I have not been posting for the last week.
You see Josh is autistic.
As such, he has the same challenges that most autistic children share.
He has communications issues, so he can't always tell us what is bothering him. This can lead to some rather serious meltdowns at times.
Autistic children also struggle with making and keeping social relationships.
In other words, my son has never really made friends that come over to do things like play video games, watch movies, spend the night or any of the other things that children do.
Josh is a very affectionate young man. I've always thought it's sad that he doesn't have buddies, he's never really had a birthday party. We celebrate of course, but it's usually just his mom, his sister, and myself.
You see, when you look at my son, you don't see that he is really any different. No wheel chair, no crutches, no out ward physical sign that he is different.
You won't know till we tell you, or you talk to him, or the one thing that scares us most of all, that he has a meltdown in public.
When that happens, you should see the looks, hear the comments, or the misguided advice. It's such a fear, that we really don't do things like other families do.
To much sensory input can lead to a meltdown, so a crowded, noisy restaurant can be a potential nightmare waiting to happen.
Plus since he really doesn't know better, he will walk up to a perfect stranger, and grab Thier hand and kiss it.
My fear is he will do this to the wrong person someday, and get punched for his efforts.
Raising an autistic child is frought with such challenges, and can be quite frankly exhausting.
But there is one place where we feel love and acceptance if only for one week a year.
Joni and Friends Family retreat.
This is a special place where you can bask in the love of Christ. Run by people who understand.
It's a place of rest.
It's a place of peace.
It's a week long sanctuary where for a time you can forget all about the judgement, the pain, the loneliness, and the struggle of raising a special needs child.
In this place Josh is loved for who he is. He has friends, experiences what it's like to be a teenager. His talents are encouraged, his hugs welcomed, he's not looked upon has strange.
He's accepted for who he is in Christ.
And we has his family, are afforded the same.
For a week we don't have to live in fear, or judgment, we can step back, and take a much needed breath.
We can bask in the love of Christ, that is generously shared by some truly amazing people.
And for a time, rest and recharge.
So you see, that's why I haven't been posting lately.
We where busy being loved.
