"We'll always have Oak Cliff...."

Since we moved here, almost six years ago, I have enjoyed relative anonymity. I never held a job here and then the girls' challenges led to further isolation. For the most part, this suited me.

After we began our journey on the spectrum, I was out and about much more and naturally, I met people. However, unlike that which is the habit of other social contacts, we generally only ran into one another in waiting rooms, at social skills classes, or in the vitamin aisle at Whole Foods. I still moved about the city with relative anonymity. I liked this; it worked for me.

Now that the girls are in school and activities, in other words, now that we walk among the vanilla people, I am finding my quiet, unassociated life slipping away from me. On Monday I helped out a friend with her daughter so I took my girls and her to Chik Filet to eat and play. I immediately ran into a group of ladies with their children from church. After we got our food and the girls alighted for the playground, I ran into several mothers from their school. It was unnerving to me to encounter two groups of people that knew me and my children. After the restaurant, I took the girls to Abby's make up ballet class and low and behold, there were two more families from the girls' school and another lady from our church.

After all that unexpected socializing I was exhausted. It was nice on one hand, but tiring and I was very selfconcious all day. When I told Jimmy about my day he said, "At least you'll always have Oak Cliff."

It may not be Paris but its all I've got.

My covert operative status is slipping away.
God grant me the serenity to accept this change in my social scheme.
__________________

“Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”
1 Chron. 16:10-11

thank goodness for the good ones

The good doctor that is. We have some issues with Beans and have decided to persue some professional help. She is just aggressive and completely without remorse. She is unable (or unwilling) to take responsibility for her actions. I do not think she does what she does out of malice. I am certain it is a manifestation of her inability to take anyone else's perspective combined with the impulsive nature of ADHD, but I am at my wit's ends as far as how to address the problem. I want to help her before she acts out like this in an enviorment where the consequences will not be in mommy and daddy's hands. So far she has restricted her aggression to Abby and one time she got after one of her ABA therapists. Today's outburst could have had SERIOUS consequences. It scared me.
I made an appointment with a parent recommended doctor today, but decided on a whim to contact the doctor who dx'd the girls. She is outstanding. Amazingly, she wrote me back right away with some questions and she catagorically recommended one therapist for the task. There are a gagillion therapists in the area and as ya'll know or could imagine, it is SO scary to entrust your child's emotional well-being and development in the hands of just anyone. I am beyond thankful for her recommendation. Her opinion bears much weight with us. What an answered prayer!
We are blessed to have a relationship with this doctor. Most professionals in her position would not return a two and three year past client's email at all, much less within minutes of the inquiry.
PTL for Dr. M.!!

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
John 14:12-14