The Big Ticket Classic is a golf event that happens every year.  It is played by some of the top golfers in the city and I am honored that they are supporting  the PJ Foundation. They have been donating a portion of the proceeds to the foundation since our beginning in 2009.

This is something new for me because until this classic, I had never even been on  a golf course. This is the third year of PJ and me attending the event. I love the golf course but I do not want to play. No way was I going to embarrass myself in front of these serious golfers.  I did ride in the golf cart to see the signs that people had sponsored for us.

The event was held at the beautiful Pontiac Municipal Golf Course.  After PJ and I toured the course, we remained in the club house.  It was almost empty at the beginning of the day, but began getting more and more crowded as the golfers came in after the first nine holes or after they finished their game. There was much greeting, laughing and talking.  I was worried because PJ does not always like to hear a lot of loud conversation.

I was so proud of him! He was on his best behavior for 90% of the time. In fact, he was so good that people were asking me if he was there. Time was, you knew when PJ was anywhere because he always got a lot of attention. He was either in constant motion (sometimes inappropriate) or so noisy that he could not be missed.  I was always afraid to take him anywhere because it was way out of my comfort zone. I  was very uncomfortable with the stares and remarks that we always got because of his autistic behavior.

It is still out of my comfort zone, but taking him  out in public is so much better than it used to be. He is starting to fit in (almost). He seems to want to fit in.  He  ate hot dogs and fries and drank soda and seemed to be having a good time. (Part of the time he sat with his face to the wall and his back to the people in the clubhouse).  He would occasionally get up and walk around but didn’t bother anyone except me. It was a long day for him but he maintained control.

My thanks to all the golfers who participated. One of the things that I have learned since becoming PJ’s mother is that there are a lot of good people in the world.  People who want to support and help others.

This Sunday, July 22, we have another event. The Locker Room Lounge on Livernois in Detroit is having their annual car wash to raise money for the foundation. The Locker Room  has been fund raising for autism for more that 25 years and I am very grateful to them. I am not as concerned about his behavior because this will be a much shorter day and we are much closer to home. The car wash will last from noon to 6 p.m.  If you are in the area, come by and say hi and get your car washed.

The PJ Foundation is grateful to all of our supporters. We can’t do everything for everybody, but we can do something for somebody. That’s why we say “a spoonful of comfort”.  A spoonful is the minimum amount of sustenance that we can share.  I know how much of a struggle it is to raise a child with autism or any disability. I wish we could do more to help all of you parents. You are all my heroes and I have learned a lot from you.

You do not have to write a book or form a foundation to offer “a spoonful of comfort”. We all have a spoonful of comfort. If you know someone who is the parent of a child with autism or any other disability, can you see what you can do? You can offer to make (or buy) dinner for the family once  or twice a month. You can offer to take the family to the park for a few hours. If you are a family member, you can offer to sit  with the child so that the mother can run errands in peace.

Until next time; May you have Peace, Love and Prosperity in your life>

Claudreen Jackson