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| "When I write I feel like I'm disappearing into more of me" ~Tsara Shelton |
Wow, I've written a lot.
Boy oh boy, I really like to tell you about my family!
This morning I was thinking about doing a "Throw Back Thursday" thing and sharing an old blog post on Facebook, so I started peeking around at my posts and kept thinking, "Wowza! I really like to write about what's going on with my family. I really like writing what I think. I just keep writing and writing and writing!"
And then I also noticed there have been others peeking at my posts, too. People like you. People who take the time to read what I write (and write and write and write).
I'm forever grateful to all of you--the one time readers, the sometimes readers, the consistent readers, commenters and sharers--for being here with me while I write, consider, reflect, and giggle at our antics. You've helped me and my boys grow. One of the things my sons love to say when I applaud them for coming up with something funny or something insightful is: "Is that going to be an Autism Answer?"
They say it with a smile. They know that I like to celebrate and share with you, and they like it.
They're forever grateful to all of you, too! It's through sharing and considering and writing that I truly get comfortable with my parenting. In clearly expressing my thoughts I'm able to own them, and sometimes, change them.
Have you noticed, friends, that I'm not shy about sharing challenges and hardships? That I'm inclined to offer up my vulnerabilities and mistakes as important moments for learning? And in doing so I've been able to refine and understand and even feel proud of my ability to tell stories with intention. My intention shifts a little as my life shifts, but it's always some version of discovering a useful, kind, and deeply inclusive answer. I tell stories of hurt or failure or cruelty always with a purpose to discover something nourishing.
I've learned that most of you do that as well. Through your comments and messages I've learned that I'm not at all alone in this. I'd love to sip coffee with all of you one day!! We're so different from each other yet so wonderfully comfortable with that!
As my motto reminds me: "Autism asks challenging questions, begs us to think outside the box and then, Autism Answers!" The stuff that makes us think differently and learn from difference invites us to meet in the place where forgotten answers wait to be re-discovered and where new ideas wait to be created and considered. We, friends, are not afraid to spend some time in those places, sharing seeds of thought that grow into unusual but purely organic truths.
So, thank-you. Thank-you for letting me share with you and thank you for sharing with me. Our seeds and thoughts have already grown into beautiful things. I'm unable to see it all, but I only have to look at my sons to know the beauty of it.
Now, with no further ado, a Throw Back Thursday blog post! This one is a few years old and it's a lovely example of how we're always growing. It's the story of my husband's first time ever visit to a new state at over sixty years old, and how my then four year old nieces explored a new kind of relationship with their rarely seen uncle Milton.
Hugs, smiles, and love!!!
Autism Answers with Tsara Shelton (Facebook)
