A Different Boat

Two nights ago I watched The Night Of Too Many Stars, a fundraiser put on by Comedy Central to raise money for autism education. The most touching moment of the entire show was an autistic girl playing the piano and singing with Katy Perry. The whole time I was watching this little girl, I was struck by how her autism was a strength in this situation. Most other kids her age (or even myself for that matter) would never have the courage to sit on stage with a major super star and perform her song. Being autistic allowed this girl to avoid the traps of social pressure and the fears of social perception. Without second guessing her talent, she got on stage and let the world see her passion for music. As a society we are so concerned with teaching kids to avoid peer pressure, while heavily relying on peer pressure for advertising (but that's a whole different issue). Yet autistic kids who have such a difficult time reading social cues and following our fabricated rules for conduct...

One of the absolute best pieces of advice I've gotten came from a friend whose son is also "disabled." She told me to look no more than 6 months into Wesley's future. The natural inclination is to try and predict what he'll be like as a preschooler, kindergarten, teenager, or adult. The problem is, it's one big guessing game. There is no way to accurately predict what Wes will and won't be able to do in his lifetime. There are simply too many variables and too many unknowns. Who knows what other miracles God may work, what medical advancements may come along, or what tremendous improvement will come through Wesley's hard work and stubbornness. Yet every time I see a "disabled" teenager I try to predict if Wes will be better or worse off than him. Such exercises bring my anxiety level to extremes and let in that sneaky devil, fear. I would love to say I just live in the moment and don't worry about what the future holds but that is simpl...