Saturday, March 26, 2005
Goodness will ultimately triumph--- But now we are fighting a slippery slope of judicial tyranny, human rights violations, and the right to murder under the law.
In a country with supposed checks and balances, I find it terrifying that a judicial system can repeatedly ignore the federal executive branch, the state executive branch, the state legislature, and the federal legislature-- essentially trumping all. I find the Terri Schiavo case to be one of the most disturbing cases in a long time-- maybe that is because it is so public, but mostly because CONGRESS PASSED LEGISLATION and requested Terri to be a witness thereby placing protection on her and these acts were essentially IGNORED! This should make us all wake up! Our legislative representation should not be ignored. This is a country by the people and for the people. This country should NOT be run by the courts.
I will say "Bravo" for Iowa's senators. Both Harkin and Grassley came out in favor of the disabled and I am SOOO proud of them for that. As many other parents of children with disabilities are quaking in their boots right now-- I can't help but wonder how much this will affect the treatment, the mindset, and the efforts people will make to join themselves with those with disabilities. I for one have decided to join several groups--
Feminists For Life-- the spokesperson is Patricia Heaton. This is a fantastic organization that uses the words of suffragettes and EARLY women's rights activists as their mottoes.
ADAPT
Not Dead yet-- this organization spans the spectrum of political activism and joins under one issue-- No Euthanasia of the Disabled!
Joni and Friends
Focus on the Family
The Homestead-- A local group that serves the autistic community in central Iowa
World Vision-- Check out their online catalog, you can purchase shares of therapy or wheelchairs for disabled children around the world and change a life in a dramatic way. You can also sponsor children with disabilities, call and request specifically for a certain disability if you wish.
Attention warm hearted people: Please think of who you can be a voice for in your community. What organizations are going to address these issues in an effective way? Please act. Please pray. And please keep our precious Noah in your thoughts and prayers. He is a little ambassador from heaven sent to show us little secrets about life. One of these secrets is that life is precious, and should be embraced with our whole being.
My prayer for everyone who reads this blog:
May the sun shine warm upon you and may you be filled with peace and hope and God.
In a country with supposed checks and balances, I find it terrifying that a judicial system can repeatedly ignore the federal executive branch, the state executive branch, the state legislature, and the federal legislature-- essentially trumping all. I find the Terri Schiavo case to be one of the most disturbing cases in a long time-- maybe that is because it is so public, but mostly because CONGRESS PASSED LEGISLATION and requested Terri to be a witness thereby placing protection on her and these acts were essentially IGNORED! This should make us all wake up! Our legislative representation should not be ignored. This is a country by the people and for the people. This country should NOT be run by the courts.
I will say "Bravo" for Iowa's senators. Both Harkin and Grassley came out in favor of the disabled and I am SOOO proud of them for that. As many other parents of children with disabilities are quaking in their boots right now-- I can't help but wonder how much this will affect the treatment, the mindset, and the efforts people will make to join themselves with those with disabilities. I for one have decided to join several groups--
Feminists For Life-- the spokesperson is Patricia Heaton. This is a fantastic organization that uses the words of suffragettes and EARLY women's rights activists as their mottoes.
ADAPT
Not Dead yet-- this organization spans the spectrum of political activism and joins under one issue-- No Euthanasia of the Disabled!
Joni and Friends
Focus on the Family
The Homestead-- A local group that serves the autistic community in central Iowa
World Vision-- Check out their online catalog, you can purchase shares of therapy or wheelchairs for disabled children around the world and change a life in a dramatic way. You can also sponsor children with disabilities, call and request specifically for a certain disability if you wish.
Attention warm hearted people: Please think of who you can be a voice for in your community. What organizations are going to address these issues in an effective way? Please act. Please pray. And please keep our precious Noah in your thoughts and prayers. He is a little ambassador from heaven sent to show us little secrets about life. One of these secrets is that life is precious, and should be embraced with our whole being.
My prayer for everyone who reads this blog:
May the sun shine warm upon you and may you be filled with peace and hope and God.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Warning: I wrote this when I was really mad. A woman who has never even met my son said the worst thing I think I have ever heard. It is so horrible I won't even repeat it, but suffice it to say it had to do with euthanasia, starvation and my son. I AM MAD! So if this post seems angry, well, it is.
On bigots in general:
Having a son with autism and multiple developmental issues is a great way to separate the sheep from the goats, if you will. There are those who choose to be advocates, friends, and just plain kind to us or those who choose to hold bigoted, unkind, and just plain stupid views.
There are actually people who don't see Noah's disabilities first... they see a child. An adorable, sweet, passionate child who embraces life and all it holds for him. The there are those that first see a child with strange bent up glasses with shaggy hair and a feeding tube. In my opinion, what you see first says what kind of person that you are. I get tired of being the educator. I get tired of protecting people from being confronted with disability. The only unusual "suffering" around here is caused by the bigotry of the able bodied. It is a catch-22, because it is the able bodied and agile minded people that we are so intermingled with on this planet.
I thought at one time I would print up a kind business card that said:
"Thank you for not staring at us. My son has autism, mental retardation and a feeding tube. We appreciate your kindness and patience with us."
Now, the business card that I want to print up would say this:
Then he said after a long pause, "Mommy, you not a pwincess. You da Qweem!"
On bigots in general:
Having a son with autism and multiple developmental issues is a great way to separate the sheep from the goats, if you will. There are those who choose to be advocates, friends, and just plain kind to us or those who choose to hold bigoted, unkind, and just plain stupid views.
There are actually people who don't see Noah's disabilities first... they see a child. An adorable, sweet, passionate child who embraces life and all it holds for him. The there are those that first see a child with strange bent up glasses with shaggy hair and a feeding tube. In my opinion, what you see first says what kind of person that you are. I get tired of being the educator. I get tired of protecting people from being confronted with disability. The only unusual "suffering" around here is caused by the bigotry of the able bodied. It is a catch-22, because it is the able bodied and agile minded people that we are so intermingled with on this planet.
I thought at one time I would print up a kind business card that said:
"Thank you for not staring at us. My son has autism, mental retardation and a feeding tube. We appreciate your kindness and patience with us."
Now, the business card that I want to print up would say this:
Attention bigoted people
(These come in all shapes, sizes and intellects, all socio-economic classes and all religions, by the way.):
We will not hide. We will not shelter you any more. We will be our own awesome selves. Deal with us. Deal with your prejudice. Deal with our shortcomings the way you expect us to deal with yours. Do you have an ugly haircut? Do you have an ugly personality? Do you drive a polluting egg beater? Did you paint your house a horrific color? Do you think we want to deal with your horrible taste in clothes, music, language, table manners, etc? The same way in which I would never make you feel unwelcome somewhere for something that you cannot help is the same way we will continue to expect to be made welcome in spite of something that we can not help.
No more patience. No more explanations. No more apologies. I am what I am. My son is what he is. And unfortunately bigoted people are what they are- ignorant! So ha-ha! You lose the happiness war, bigots! We will go where we please and do what we wish in spite of you. And we will be happier because we know the truth. Life is a precious gift... and you will not be allowed to trounce upon my life or my son's life. Not on my watch.
Oh, and have a nice day!
What do you think? Too mean?
On a lighter note:
A few weeks ago, I was putting in some earrings. Andy came up and said, "Mommy whacha doeeng?"
I replied, "I am putting in my earrings. Girls get to wear pretty, shiny earrings."
He said, "Mommy you not a Gool. You a pwincess!"
I said, "Thank you! That's right I am!"
Then he said after a long pause, "Mommy, you not a pwincess. You da Qweem!"
Out of the mouths of babes!
Monday, March 07, 2005
Almost every day Andy and I go to the coffee shop to get a latte for mommy and a ginger cookie for Andy. He is soooo funny about it. He knows where all the coffee shops are now. He definitely preferes Freidrich's but usually we go to the drive through Grounds for Celebration, because I get tired of chasing him around coffee shops while other people are trying to read their papers and drink their cuppa' in relative peace. About once a week I attempt to socialize him by taking him inside Freidrich's or the Grounds in our neighborhood. Ineveitably I come home with some adorable/embarrassing/mortifying/just plain cute story. Here's one from the other day:
Mommy: So Andy would you like a vanilla steamer or a muffin?
Andy: A steamer.
Mommy: A steamer? Okay.
Andy: No, a muffin.
Andy: No, a steamer.
Andy: No, a muffin.
Andy: A steamer.
Andy: I want a muffin, pwease.
Barrista: (not unkindly) Well, we have five different kinds of muffins.
Mommy: Okay, Andy, which kind do you want?
Andy: That one.
Andy: That one.
Barrista: This one?
Andy: No, that one.
Andy: I want that one, Pwease.
Barrista: This one?
Mommy: I think he wants that one.
Andy: Yeah, that one.
We pay, we grab a seat, we eat.
Andy: Look a cup! Look a truck! What's that lady doing? Look mommy! An "I." There's another cup.
We finish, clean up, and are leaving.
Andy: I want a steamer!!!
Andy: I want a steamer PWEASE!
Mommy: Well, I guess we can. (thinking I can just get one with light flavoring... essentially milk)
Mommy (to barrista) : He'd like a steamer... very light flavoring and not too hot.
Andy: I want these... (porcupine chocolates)
Mommy: Okay, cancel steamer we'll just get the chocolate (it's only 40 cents).
We pay, we leave.
Andy: I don't want to leave.
Mommy: It's time to leave.
Andy: I don't want to leave.
Mommy (in sing song desperate voice... super sensors are on high alert anticipating melt down) : It's time to leave. (lightbulb) You can have your chocolate in the car!
Andy: Okay.
Andy: I want a steamer.
Mommy: It's too late for a steamer. We left the coffee shop.
Andy (matter of factly): It's too late. It's too late.
Flash forward to late afternoon. Daddy comes home.
Andy: Daddy! Daddy! I have a steamer! (I made him a homemade one) It's too late to get a steamer from the coffee shop Daddy! It's too late.
I thought that was sorta cute. He just loves life so much.
Cute things: Noah is on a kick again where he cracks up every time you say, "Allapookoohah."
Andy has been coming up, sitting down and saying, "Let's talk."
Highlights of our weekend:
Noah-- Playing outside. sitting with Grandpa in the backyard. Chuck E. Cheese. A walk. The park.
Andy-- Chuck E. Cheese. The playland at the mall. Going to church. Eating ice cream,
Me-- The liturgy. My coffee drinks. A walk. Shopping for spring clothes. Seeing the kids have a good time.
Scott-- Thai Flavors. A walk. Spending time with family. Going window shopping for bikes.
Mommy: So Andy would you like a vanilla steamer or a muffin?
Andy: A steamer.
Mommy: A steamer? Okay.
Andy: No, a muffin.
Andy: No, a steamer.
Andy: No, a muffin.
Andy: A steamer.
Andy: I want a muffin, pwease.
Barrista: (not unkindly) Well, we have five different kinds of muffins.
Mommy: Okay, Andy, which kind do you want?
Andy: That one.
Andy: That one.
Barrista: This one?
Andy: No, that one.
Andy: I want that one, Pwease.
Barrista: This one?
Mommy: I think he wants that one.
Andy: Yeah, that one.
We pay, we grab a seat, we eat.
Andy: Look a cup! Look a truck! What's that lady doing? Look mommy! An "I." There's another cup.
We finish, clean up, and are leaving.
Andy: I want a steamer!!!
Andy: I want a steamer PWEASE!
Mommy: Well, I guess we can. (thinking I can just get one with light flavoring... essentially milk)
Mommy (to barrista) : He'd like a steamer... very light flavoring and not too hot.
Andy: I want these... (porcupine chocolates)
Mommy: Okay, cancel steamer we'll just get the chocolate (it's only 40 cents).
We pay, we leave.
Andy: I don't want to leave.
Mommy: It's time to leave.
Andy: I don't want to leave.
Mommy (in sing song desperate voice... super sensors are on high alert anticipating melt down) : It's time to leave. (lightbulb) You can have your chocolate in the car!
Andy: Okay.
Andy: I want a steamer.
Mommy: It's too late for a steamer. We left the coffee shop.
Andy (matter of factly): It's too late. It's too late.
Flash forward to late afternoon. Daddy comes home.
Andy: Daddy! Daddy! I have a steamer! (I made him a homemade one) It's too late to get a steamer from the coffee shop Daddy! It's too late.
I thought that was sorta cute. He just loves life so much.
Cute things: Noah is on a kick again where he cracks up every time you say, "Allapookoohah."
Andy has been coming up, sitting down and saying, "Let's talk."
Highlights of our weekend:
Noah-- Playing outside. sitting with Grandpa in the backyard. Chuck E. Cheese. A walk. The park.
Andy-- Chuck E. Cheese. The playland at the mall. Going to church. Eating ice cream,
Me-- The liturgy. My coffee drinks. A walk. Shopping for spring clothes. Seeing the kids have a good time.
Scott-- Thai Flavors. A walk. Spending time with family. Going window shopping for bikes.
