If you can hear a short Disney movie line and know which Disney
movie it goes to, and better yet, understand what that line
means in the current situation-
"Ya might take care of someone with autism!"
"In It ...
Hi! My name is Amy Hollingworth and I have two sons with autism. They are both diagnosed as severe and non-verbal. From the very beginning, I wanted life to be normal and did all that I could to feel like I had a normal life. The truth was, I had my own special family, and it includes my husband and four great kids! We have learned that, as for autism and its quirks, we are "IN IT TOGETHER"! We welcome you to our family and hope to lighten your load, make you laugh, and even let you cry that you may feel lighter.
Medicine for the Soul
Abraham Lincoln called together a special session of
his war cabinet members to discuss an incredibly important topic.
Every member of the cabinet was there, the Secretary of War, the
Secretary of the Treasure, the Attorney-General, and more. As people
entered the room, Lincoln was reading a book and smiling to himself.
Once the people were settled. Lincoln started the meeting by reading
a humor story from the book. After reading it, Lincoln laughed aloud
along with no one else. The room was silent. So Lincoln decided to
read another story. Again, silence. Lincoln did not waver. He did
not apologize or feel like he made a mistake. Instead, he said,
“Gentlemen, why don’t you laugh? With the fearful strain that is
upon me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die, and you need
this medicine as much as I do.”
(The Story-Life of Lincoln by
Wayne Whipple. The JC Winston Co, 1908)
Some of the wisest words said came from my grandmother
at the funeral of her husband.
“I can either laugh or cry, and I prefer to laugh.”
-Amy Evans Hollingworth
So, in her honor I have decided to make a space
for laughter in my life. I personally get a kick out of Jeff
Foxworthy’s comedy routine of “You know you’re a redneck IF...”.
Here is my version of
“You know you care for someone with Autism IF...”
The Humorous Side
1 / 4
2 / 4
If you understand that cookies must be sampled and then put back
on the plate-
"Ya might take care of someone with autism!"
"Ya might take care of someone with autism!"
3 / 4
If you know the locations of every McDonald's within 50
miles-
"Ya might take care of someone with autism!"
"Ya might take care of someone with autism!"
4 / 4
If you only own a Costco membership for a particular brand of
chicken nuggets-
"Ya might take care of someone with autism!"
"Ya might take care of someone with autism!"
This is a new journey for me, to write how I feel, and
share it with others. I found that what Anne Frank declared
is true
"I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear; my
courage is reborn."
Being able to write out the feelings and lessons
learned are helping me on this journey of autism and how I navigate
it. I hope sharing my thoughts with you will be a blessing to you.
Resources can be helpful and overwhelming at the same
time. Every person is unique and what works for one doesn't
necessarily work for someone else. I like the quote from Dr. Stephen
Shore who says:
"If you have met one individual with autism, you've then met one
individual with autism"
The above resource links are there for
reference and exploring different support options. I like the vision
that Dr. Temple Grandin has stated:
"There needs to be a lot more emphasis on what a child can do
instead of what he cannot do."