I have had the hardest time getting wordpress to accept my passwords. I have to keep changing it. If one of my grandchildren were here, they would have solved the problem immediately. Also, now I know why I said I would never get floors sanded and varnished again. I was not able to get to my computer for a week. I wished for a laptop, except I had one and it was stolen.

Anyhow, I wanted to mention some of my heroes. I mentioned some of  them in “Inspired By Autism” but  their words bear repeating.

In his book, “The Prophet”, Kahlil Gibran wrote something that has comforted me greatly when dealing with PJ. “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself. They come through you, but not from you. You can give them your love, but not your thoughts.” Reading that quote helped me to quit apologizing for PJ’s existence. I gave him birth, but God gave him life. He is entitled to his little space on the planet just like the rest of us.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale also helped me. In the “Power Of Positive Thinking”, Dr. Peale said that you can change your life by changing your attitude. He said that the facts are not as important as your attitude about the facts. You can’t change what happens to you, but you can change how you feel about what happens to you. Once your perception of a situation changes, the situation itself changes. In his little booklet, “Thought Conditioners”, he gives you specific scriptures and techniques to teach you how to change your attitude. Dr Peale said that God created you and He can constantly and automatically re-create you. He helped me to change my attitude about autism.

In her book, “Return to Love”, Marianne Williamson tells us to forgive those who hurt us. Forgiveness is just as healing for the forgiver as for the one who needs to be forgiven. That book was the catalyst for me forgiving my husband after years of nursing my hurts. I felt a load lift that I didn’t even know I was carrying. We eventually ended up getting back together. God is still working Miracles in the world!

In his book, “The Greatest Miracle In The World”, Og Mandino says of love, “Love is a gift on which no return is demanded. To love for fulfillment, satisfaction or pride is no love. If love is not returned, it will still flow back to you and soften and purify your heart.” He says that we are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. I did not hope to get love back from PJ, but he did learn to return love.

I constantly mention Og Mandino when I am speaking. His books have had a great impact on me. Imagine my surprise when I was reading one of his books and he mentioned meeting me. What an honor! The book is “Secrets of Success and Happiness” and is his journal entries that were published. He is no longer living, but he managed to excite me from heaven after eighteen years.

I hope you have some Heroes in your life. We sure need them. I hope you have someone to give you a spoonful of comfort. I hope you can manage to share a spoonful of comfort with someone who needs it. A spoonful is the bare minimum of sustenance that we can give and you don’t have to write a book or form a foundation to give it.

Until next time; May the Love of God enfold you; May the Power of God protect you.

Claudreen Jackson