I loved reading your comments on my Wordless Wednesday picture!

The picture is actually one of mine that was chosen to go on our web-

site at work. Our motto is "reaching success together". As some of

you may have heard already- April is Autism Awareness month.

I also love someone with autism...matter fact about a dozen of them.

I work with children that just learn and play in a different way. God

has blessed my life by placing them in it.

Why do you think the need to matter is so important to us? As I

was pondering this question here's what I thought concerning my

life personally...

When I went back to school I prayed that God would give me a

passion for something beyond my wildest dreams and that He

did. Everyday I learn something new and love the joy of figuring

out a way to help them "get it". It is the joy of my life. However,

it a very stressful and tiring too.
I could sit today and give you all kinds of defintions and

information. However, if you would like to know I would

love nothing more than talking about this amazing world.

My guess though is you know someone- a family that has

been touched by either Autism or a child with Special needs.

So what I would like to pass along in this post is a glimpse

of a families possible needs. There are so many burdens

that these families face. So many families first have to push

past the state of denial and confusion over the diagnosis.

The biggest problem I hear is the lack of knowledge or

ambition in the school systems to teach and work with

these kids. The stress that comes- statistics say that

80-85% of marriages fail in families with special needs

children. I believe it because I've meet some of them.

The financial burdens are unreal. It breaks my heart

everyday knowing there are kids out there that can't

afford the services that they need!

Please stop through out this month especially and lift

up the children and adults that are touched by such

handicaps. Lift up their families and marriages that

are also affected by this. Also I would like to ask for

you to pray for each worker, teacher, school system

and each student/friend that cross these sweet ones

lives....

I am so humbled that God has allowed me to serve

Him in such a special way.

I thank you for your prayers! Seek out those families

and love on them like crazy! People don't know we

care until we show them...send a card, give a call or

even better offer to babysit!

Wordless Wednesday

The Great I Am

I am battling a huge bout of fatigue. This school year has
totally tapped me out. However, in the midst of a really
bad day this week God gave me a picture of His presence.

I had promised my nephew that during Spring Break he
could come to work with me. He loves to play in the
sensory gym- can't blame him it is pretty cool. Anyway,
I haven't explained to him just yet that I work with Special
needs kids and that there are just kids born that have
different ways of learning and playing. So, I was a little
afraid of how he would react to one of the kids that was
in that day. They both interacted really well with each
other until the little boy with autism got really excited.
When he gets excited he starts to stim. Stimming is a
form of body movement that is in the rocking, hand
flapping or eye gazes that they do when over stimulated.
As the little boy began to stim my nephew got that
nervous fearful look in his eyes. Before I could get to
him my cowork stepped in between them because she
noticed my nephew's reaction. That night I was thinking
about the day and I remembered this taking place.
There are some things in my nephew's world that I would
like to protect him from. All in reality I can do right now
though is pray for God's protection over him. As I was
thinking about what had happened that day between the
two boys God spoke something so beautiful to my heart.
He showed me that He is the One who can step in between
the nervous and fearful things in my nephew's life and in
all our lives. I've always known that He is our protection
but to have such a tender view of it in real life was so
moving and real. When there is something fearful or
anxious going on in our lives and when satan is getting
a little too close our Mighty God steps in to protect us as
His children. Our Father stepping in to protect and shield
us.
It reminded me of a point in our Bible study- "Beloved
Disciple". Beth Moore said, "Suddenly Jesus walked
through their barriers, into their hiding places, and
appeared among them." This was taken from John 20
when the disciples were afraid and locked themselves
in a room and Jesus came through the locked door and
appeared before them. Just think about being so afraid
that you've locked yourself behind closed doors. Be it
literal locked doors or locking ourselves behind mental
doors. God sees us and comes to us through whatever
is before or around us to protect and comfort us.

Wordless Wednesday

In the Garden

I thought you might like to see some of the highlights from the
kido's Easter program. It was powerful and gentle all at once...
Just like our risen Savior...

Narrator: It's Sunday morning in a Jerusalem garden. The
year is 32 A.D. The sun has just risen, and all is quiet. But
if you listen very carefully, you might be able to hear a
conversation between two flowers on the path.
Bud: I don't even feel like blooming.
Bloomer: Why? What's the matter, Bud?
Bud: Everything just seems wrong since Jesus died. I mean, he was there
at the very creation of the world, Bloomer.

As the story goes on the flowers soon learn that Jesus had died and then
rose again. And the little flower at the end says, "But he was stronger than
death. He won! And that's the bloomin' truth!"

(The cute little flower at the end is my nephew)

I also thought I would end with these scriptures that were recorded

that we might believe.

Prophecy:

"Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they

have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones; people stare

and gloat over me. They divided my garments among them and cast

lots for my clothing." Ps. 22:16-18

Gospel account:

"When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him,

along with the criminals- one on his right, the other on his left.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what

they are doing." And they divided up his clothes and cast

lots." Luke 23:33-34

I pray that you have beautiful Easter celebration filled with love...

Growing in the Shade...Bending in the Light...

Now, my Grandaddy Joy had a "green thumb", he could walk
by a bush- brake off a limb- stick it in a jar and it would grow
roots. He taught me some about growing and tending to
these precious living things. When he passed away that's
exactly what he was doing- tending to his garden. I wish he
were here now so I could tell him about something I
discovered this week. So I'll share it with you....
Do you know why a plant when placed in the sun grows
toward the light? Well, I thought I did but....I didn't.
Plants contain a harmone called Auxin that causes growth
in length. Auxin is what makes a plant grow towards light.
When light hits the side of a stem the auxin moves away
from the light and accumulates on the shade side of the
stem.
When I first thought about a plant sitting in the light, I
automatically thought about God being our Source of
Light. How when the Master sits us in the window seal
we are drawn toward Him. Then I read on further about
this chemical called auxin.
The shift in the amount of auxin in the shaded side causes
greater growth to that side of the stem. Hmmmm so how
does that relate to the thought of this in Spiritual terms?
Then God began to reveal to me this....
There are season's in our Spiritual walk that we find our-
selves placed in the Window seal bathing in His Word and
in His presence. In all the while we face times of shaded,
shadowy and even dark places. Just as the auxin causes
growth in the stem of a plant to grow, He causes our faith
to grow in the shaded areas of our life. So as the growth
on the shaded side of a plant stem causes the stem to grow
longer than the side of the stem facing the light, the stem
gradually bends toward the light. Just as He uses the
dark and shady times to stretch, grow and test our faith.
As we've walked through those dark areas and times, we
find ourselves bending toward the Light. We've grow
during the shaded side and it has caused the bending of
our hearts, minds and knees toward the Light of our Father.
I'll end with a passage from "Streams in the Desert"
"What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight;
what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the
roofs." Matthew 10:27
"Our Lord is constantly taking us into the dark in order
to tell us something. It may be the darkness of a home
where bereavement has drawn the blinds; the darkness
of a lonely and desolate life, in which some illness has
cut us off from the light and the activity of life; or the
darkness of some crushing sorrow and disappointment."

"Do we know of another who shines brighter than the
most radiant sunlight, who meets us in our room with
the first waking light, who has an infinitely tender and
compassionate watchfulness over us throughout our
day...".

In times when it may seem like we are a seed buried under
the dark cold earth....may we be quick to remember....that's
when we are growing in our faith and drawing nearest to
Him.
I pray that as you awake in the morning that you feel His
presence over you throughout your day.....

Pure love...

Faith came back to school this week. We found out more of
the story being lived out behind closed doors. I really slipped
on this one and it's called me out on how often I'm over looking
others. One thing I've learned and have always tried to
remember when working with kids is- a change in behavior
(for the worst) means something is going on in their
environment.
I've been questioning myself why- why have I lost sight of
being the encourager I use to be. Disappointment- in not
receiving a word of encouragement myself, Consumed by
the world (worries), Fatigue, things that have altered my
attitudes to a negative perspective. This is too important
to keep missing. I've got to get the "main thing" back in
focus. There are people overwhelmed and hurting. They
need--we need a genuine love- a pure love. To be filled
up with His love to the overflow so I can love others in
His love.
All day I use every creative way I can think of to motivate
kids to excell by using positive reinforcement. So what's
my motivation to change my present behaviors/attitudes?
To know that I've taken the time to notice others. To feel
I've loved on others in His love. To desire to be like Him.
God please not only give me a heart of compassion but
also the passion to love them with You.