Insurance Countdown...5 Days to Go!

Well, we have been anxiously awaiting May 1...our new insurance plan begins.  With this change brings forth many other changes, including a change in doctors for the boys!  I am looking most to this, not because I know I am going to have to spend a small fortune in gas money trucking my little dudes around, but because I am determined to find some answers!  I have honestly had a bait of "quick fixes via medicinal cocktails"!  No more band-aids, please!
Truly, our boys couldn't be more different, yet are diagnosed equally.  The youngest's ADHD is more prominent than his Asperger's, but our middle son's Asperger's seems to be literally strangling the life out of him lately.  It genuinely breaks my heart, to hear the only options at this point are to either "call the cops" or "shove him in a "psych ward".  I am convinced that there MUST be other answers!  They may not be easy, but I KNOW they are there...somewhere!  I am even more convinced that somewhere in America there IS a doctor whose sole benefit is for the children & not how much of a "kick-back" he's gonna receive from a drug company. 
So far this week, I have been cursed at, called names, kicked twice, spit on, just to mention a few...and just when I get the mindset to claim a case of the "mulligrubs", I find myself somewhat ashamed.  Yeah, life stinks from time to time, but this is simply a short season in this life.  A brief hardship, perhaps?  Each thing I have encountered this week is just a small portion as to what my Savior, Jesus Christ, endured, on my behalf.  What suffering He undertook, as payment for MY sins!  Yet, in some merciful way, He still loves me, unconditionally, which I MUST do for my boys as well.  I must intercede for them, with prayer & fasting as never before.  Time draweth nigh...and their actions will reap eternal consequences.  I must stand in the gap, as needed...for that is the place in which the Lord has put me.  This is my here.  This is my now.  These are my boys.  I purpose in my heart to NEVER give up on them.  I pray I never lose sight of that small glimmer of  love that twinkles in their eyes from time to time, when there is but a fleeting moment of clarity, and I can for just a moment see into their souls, through their eyes.

Speaking of Ed Thornton, MD...

Speaking of Dr. Ed Thornton...our oldest son, Zachary, will be traveling with him, and his precious wife, Jana, and the rest of their team, on a Medical Missions Trip, to Africa this summer. What an amazing & unique experience this will be! Zack will also have a faithful traveling companion, Walker, to explore this other nation with. What a difference this trip is sure to make in their lives, both of whom are now eyeballing the medical field. Can you imagine anything more amazing for 2 teenagers to be a part of during their summer vacations? Talk about a vacation of a lifetime!!!! They will fly out July 10 and return July 28. I am praying for them all to have a safe & phenominal trip! Perhaps even meeting some African nationals to befriend for life. The group Zack & Walker will be going with are the cream of the crop! I'm not worried in the least for their well-being. I feel this group will only enhance their lives in ways I certainly can not, for which I am tremendously grateful. This trip will not be sponsored by "The Price is Right", but it's worth every dollar that will be spent towards this journey! I am helping the boys with a fundraising presentation to send out to churches and friends & family. I am certain that anyone who helps send these 2 boys on this trip, God will do nothing but abundantly bless! All donations will be tax deductible, as long as they are sent to the boys through our local church, Grifton Free Will Baptist Church, and specified for Zachary or Walker, or shoot, even both! :) The church has a website...feel free to check us out! We are a small & humble congregation of God-fearing folk...no fancy church around here...haha! I will attempt to post a link at least on here, for you to be able to view the final presentation. All donations are appreciated, and will be well applied.

2012...the Year of the Lion!

Well, we are 2 months and 15 days into this new year. Boy, has it been a doozy…but when living with Aspies, isn’t everyday really a doozy?! We are fortunate to have found out in the last few weeks, just how dishonest the Food Lion corporation is…luckily for us, Chris has found greener pastures with Harris Teeter. Training is long & difficult, but well worth it in the end…so we insist on believing! As Aspie moms know, finding time to “blog” is just not normally in the schedule, which is evident by the lapse of time since my last entry…keeping a consistent diary was also never a strong point of mine, growing up, you should probably know. This year, I am making a conscious effort to be more consistent…who knows, I may just be able to offer a glimmer of inspiration to another Aspie mom who may be out there & feel like they, too, are often just treading water, while waiting impatiently for someone to toss her a life-preserver! After years, and I mean YEARS!, of aimlessly floating in the Sea of Gloom & Dispair with Aaron, and his pain issues, his physical therapists determined that he had “reached a plateau”, and would better benefit from Biomedical Feedback Therapy…aka, acupuncture & meds for pain management…which we collectively decided against, since our insurance didn’t cover the procedures! Duh!!! Well, after showing Aaron’s x-rays to the BEST Doctor in the world, Dr. Ed Thornton, from Texas, he determined right off that Aaron has “Scheuermann’s Disease”…like he didn’t already have enough! Furthermore, it is genetic…and runs right thru the main street of our familial DNA! My great-grandfather had it, and Ed does too! (btw, he is my cousin J) So…our family dr, Carrie Smith, PA, here in Grifton is studying up on it, so we can form a plan of attack against all the bad juju Aaron lives with daily! Hooray, we finally have the answer to the 50 Million Dolla Question! Now…to tackle the laziness??? (that’s reserved for another blog entry!)