Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Community

Until I started blogging I never really got the idea of community.  When Diego was first diagnosed I 'Googled' autism and aspergers until my eyes could no longer stay open.  Upon my obsessive search to help educate myself and to prepare for what ended up being a hefty battle with numerous professionals, I found Jess' blog (Diary of a Mom).  Here was a woman that lived across the country, that I didn't know at all and she was writing about EVERYTHING I was feeling .  Then I found her Welcome To The Club letter and I knew that I at least found one person that seemed to know exactly how autism felt.  I would comment on her posts and she would email me from time to time offering advice and providing support. 

Then I came across a few other blogs, then a few more, and then more. 

Then I finally started my own blog.

A year and a half later and I am part part of a community. 

The Autism Mommy/Special Needs Community.  

Boy is our community amazing!

As much as I can't stand the challenges my son faces as a result of his autism, I feel so fortunate to be going through it with this group of amazing people. 

I have had a very hard time finding this kind of connection here at home and I find myself wishing we all had our own little island with houses next door to one another. 

Hey a girl can dream, right??

I had the pleasure of seeing our community in action recently and actually wrote about what it taught me on my blog.  This time of year a lot of people tend to talk of what they are especially thankful for, and I haven't said much about what I am thankful for as we have been having a pretty hard time at home.  But let it be known that  I am so thankful for each one of you that takes a moment to support, blog, encourage, joke, and love on our community.  I hope  to find that, one day, here at home, to eventually be able to have this kind of connection with someone locally. Alot of  people here in San Diego seem to be divided by severity of diagnosis and approach, to always have the need to one up each other and this approach makes it hard to build a community, at least in my opinion.  I am not interested in competing with another parent, so I don't.  One of the things that is so lovely about our community is that regardless of beliefs and/or approach we all seem to handle it in a respectful manner and not let it divide us. 

I hope that each one of you is able to work through the madness of the holidays and has a beautiful time.

Shivon blogs about life on the spectrum with her 5 year old at My Brain Wants To Go Home

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