random acts of kindness

Source: tumblr.com via Nicole on Pinterest

it was a very busy day in the office, when the phone rang. quite honestly, sometimes if the phone rings when i’m overwhelmed I’ll let it go to voicemail and call them back. i ended up answering the phone and it was a social worker. she needed my help finding a shelter for a homeless family, who had a child with autism. the homeless shelters they had been living at kicked them out, because the child was aggressive and screaming (a lot of children with autism have higher instances of aggression when they are scared or out of routine). my heart dropped and everything that was important, no longer became important at this time. i started doing research on homeless shelters in the area and had my assistant perform some searches as well. between the two of us, we must have called at least 60 shelters and they were either full or would not accept the entire family. after many frustrating and heartbreaking calls i decided to call the family and let them know that i had no options for them and that they would be sleeping in their car. the mom answered the phone with so much hope in her voice and there was no way i was going to be able to deliver her the bad news. i let her know that we would continue to look for housing options, but in the mean time i was going to run to the grocery store and buy them some food. i ended up browsing and shopping in the grocery store for a lot longer than i had planned and certainly brought back a lot more groceries than I had planned. I met the family and dropped off the groceries. they were so appreciative and the look on the little boys face is forever engrained in my mind. later on, i brought him some books and gave the family some cash. my assistant ended up finding a place for them to stay at, which was a vacant hotel rented out my the salvation army. being able to tell the family something as simple as “you have a place to stay tonight” was definitely one of the most eye opening experiences i have ever had.  i went home that night and appreciated everything a little bit more. i made sure to count my blessings and thank the good lord for all that he has provided for my family and i.

instafriday

i'm linking up with jeannett for another week of instafriday, where we share a week's worth of pictures from our phones.

is halloween over already? i'd like to replay the month of october, please. last friday night we took bailey to participate in a costume parade and walked downtown to see this gorgeous display of pumpkins.

it's been a running joke around the office this past week that i spend my friday nights hanging out with my dog. it's not really a joke though, hanging out with bailey and my hubby at home is certainly one of my favorite things to do. ...and seeing a bunch of dogs in hilarious costumes may be on my top 3 favorite things ever. bailey went as a ballerina hippo.

this picture shouldn't need an explanation. only in milwaukee would you run into a car like this.

yesterday i was able to participate in a PSA for autism awareness. it was pretty amazing to be part of the filming process and being around "local celebrities"

go ahead and link up, i'd love to see your pictures!!

something special

something special is being able to organize a football camp for children with autism.

Source: jsonline.com via Nicole on Pinterest

something special is having a high school football team give up their sunday to volunteer.

Source: jsonline.com via Nicole on Pinterest

something special is having a child's wish of going to camp, come true.

Source: jsonline.com via Nicole on Pinterest

something special is having a child feel like they belong.

Source: jsonline.com via Nicole on Pinterest

something special is seeing a proud parent, who loves their child unconditionally.

Source: jsonline.com via Nicole on Pinterest

something special is supportive (and fun) co-workers.
that's me on the right- in case you can't tell through the helmet.

see the person, not the disability

yesterday was a life changing day for me. i've spent the last six months preparing to teach social skills groups to children with autism. i woke up yesterday morning, feeling like it was christmas. i was so excited to be able to spend an afternoon with some of my favorite kids and help teach them lifelong skills. overall the class went well. the kids i taught were great and had great senses of humor. i wanted to spend the rest of the day with them, and then come back tomorrow.
while we were practicing the skills they learned with neurotypical kids, a young man with cerebral palsy came over to me and handed me his iPod. he uses his iPod to communicate with others and had typed "you should come here more often, you seem nice". i smiled and started a conversation with him. he understood everything i was saying and we had a nice discussion. later on, after he started feeling more comfortable with me, he typed "i have cerebral palsy, i try really hard but sometimes it's hard for me not to live a normal life". working with parents and being surrounded with a variety of families with disabilities, i've learned that sometimes it's not appropriate to focus on the positives. sometimes you need to acknowledge that it's difficult and that they are doing the best they can.
i walked away from this young man thinking about how i was going to help change his life. so much potential and talent, yet he was sitting in the corner of a gymnasium- with no one to talk to. been thinking about him ever since i left. he's such a smart young man, who has some great skills. his language and communication skills through his iPod were clearly higher than the average child his age. maybe it's part of my job, but i've been thinking non-stop about all of the great contributions he can make to society. one of my biggest pet peeves and saddest things is that most of society underestimates what a lot of people with disabilities can do. i'm a dreamer.. thinking this man could be a great computer programmer, design video games, or apps for iPods.. the possibilities are endless.

my inspiration

source

Working with families and children with has been one of the most rewarding opportunities for me. The children constantly inspire me, even when I’m not with them. I can be sitting in the studio, sewing away and think back to a situation of a time when I taught someone something new and I’m inspired for the rest of the day.

During my junior year of college, I decided to look for a part time job. I remember seeing a posting for the line therapist position in a local newspaper and decided to apply for it.  I was interviewed, offered a position and placed on my first team; I was excited for the job yet completed unaware of the amazing career that awaited me. Leading up to my first day I was eager to start, but nervous about meeting the family for the first time.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but after completing my training I felt more confident and excited to be on my own. It took me a few months to get comfortable with programming but with solid resources and good people supporting me I let loose.  I made a concerted effort to be as creative as I could to make a difference in the lives of the family that I was working with. Within the first few months I was able to notice changes in the child that we were working with.  We taught the child how to ride a bike, use the bathroom, and eventually hold a conversation. I would leave work at night feeling like I made a difference and woke up in the morning excited about the opportunities ahead. Words cannot describe that feeling that I would get after the parents would recognize and participate in the progress of their child.

We follow the child’s motivation and set up situations to target attainable goals and skills to enhance the lives of not just the children but their families too. Over the past five years I have seen monumental changes with the children I’ve worked with. It is a passion of mine to support families and therapists learn strategies that will help children obtain goals that no one thought possible.

I once heard the saying “find a job that you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” and being a line therapist definitely was a job that I loved and decided to make a career out of. I decided to go to graduate school for master’s degree, focusing on autism spectrum disorder, and recently was promoted to the become the autism services coordinator at a local clinic in Milwaukee.

Due to confidentially purposes, I can't post any pictures of the lovely kiddos I get to work with. So, I'm following Gussy's lead and sharing a few pictures of my favorite jewelry items.

1) my anniversary/ wedding ring

2) pearl necklace (also from my hubby)

3) floral blossom necklace from the shop