Your Children

Posted on May 19, 2012 by claudreenjackson

“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…”

These words from Kahlil Gibran from his book “The Prophet” have always given me comfort when I needed it. I’ve read them many times, especially on days like Mother’s Day, which has just passed. I hope that your Mother’s Day was peaceful. I hope that someone gave you the special treatment that you deserve. I know about your struggles and your sacrifices if you are the parent of a child with autism. We make many sacrifices for our children which they may never be aware of.

I’ve spent far more money and time trying to help PJ than I would ever have expected to. I did what I had to do. I tried what I had to try. Some things did not work, but I had to try. I will be 73 in June and PJ will be 37 in July and as I look back, I am proud of the young man he has become.

Sometimes I tell him how proud of him I am. I tell him that I am surprised at how he turned out. I tell him that he is patient, kind, pleasant and smart. One day I was telling him this and I left out smart. So he looked at me and asked “smart?”.  I didn’t know if what I was saying was important to him, but I found out that it is.  “Of course,  you are smart,” I told him and he relaxed and smiled.

I remember when he did not want to be touched. I remember when I did not know if he would ever return love.  I remember the times when I felt that he was impossible to love, but I would try to show him love anyhow. We cannot help how we feel, we can only  help what we do about how we feel. I am so glad that I showed him love because now he returns love.

“To love for fulfillment, satisfaction or pride is no love. Love is a gift on which no return is demanded. If love is not returned, it will flow back to you and soften and purify your heart.” These words are from Og Mandino from his book, “The Greatest Miracle In The World”.  I read these words often when I felt that PJ would never return love. I would never have expected him to become the loving person that he is today.

I remember when he used to hurt me with pinching, biting and scratching. He also used to hurt himself because he was self abusive. I was hurt physically and emotionally until I read somewhere that we hurt others because we are hurting. It is important not to hurt back.  I had to learn to not take it personally and to show him more love. Now he has learned not to hurt others and has not been self abusive for over 20 years.

In her book, “Lessons In Living”,  Susan Taylor says that “the more unlovable a person is being, the more in need of love he or she is.” I read these words over and over also. I always said that I had to adjust to him, because he could not adjust to me, but I was wrong. He has adjusted  to me or I could not have lived with him for 36 years.

The people whose books I have mentioned have helped me over many rough spots in my journey with PJ.  I mentioned them in “Inspired By Autism” as some of my Heroes. I hope that you all have someone who gives you a lift when you need it. Being the mother of a child with autism is difficult and challenging and I send you my Love.

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

Claudreen Jackson

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Autism Month

Posted on May 4, 2012 by claudreenjackson

Autism Month has now passed, but for those of us who are parents of a person with autism, every month is autism month, every day is autism day, every hour is autism hour. That is why when April first became autism month, I wondered what good that would do. What could we accomplish?

One thing that is accomplished during autism month is greater media coverage of the condition. I remember when I searched for information about autism and could find nothing. I remember the isolation and confusion that caused. I could never have predicted how things would change.

During autism month there is much media coverage about treatments, services and theories. There are many stories about families with someone who has autism. There are still more questions than answers, but at least now we have more conversation and awareness. Now, we have many people on the higher end of the spectrum who can make their thoughts and feelings known. Thank goodness, they have been able to join the autism conversation.

As part of the media coverage, I have seen documentaries about services to people with autism, true stories about experiences of families and many success stories. PJ and in were included in a documentary titled “Screaming In Silence: Autism In the Black Community.” It has not been released yet and I hope that you get a chance to see it when it is finished.  I will let you know.

The TV show “What Would You Do?” features hidden camera  scenarios that role play everyday problem situations.  The host, John Quinones, has actors portraying   negative activity in public of abuse, discrimination or illegal activity and video tapes the reactions of people who witness  the behavior. He asks us the audience, “What Would You Do?” if you saw the misbehavior. Would you step in and help?

During autism month, the show featured an actor portraying the behavior that a person with autism might show in a restaurant. The actor would not sit down, but roamed around the restaurant, even taking food from patrons’ plates. (What PJ used to do before I discovered drive through). Quinones taped the customers’ reactions to the boy’s behavior.

Some of the comments were, ‘he’s out of control” and “you should be better parents”. (I used to get “you should keep that child at home”) along with the other comments.  Someone came to the boy’s defense saying, “there’s something wrong with him, you should understand”.  A person who was upset by the boy’s behavior did get up and leave the restaurant, but for the most part the patrons were calm and kind and did not let the behavior disturb them.

Quinones stated that there is a growing  awareness of people with autism. I guess that with the increase in the diagnosis comes an increase of  public  sensitivity to our children.  Taking PJ on any public outing was always an ordeal because of the comments and stares. I would go home depressed and upset and vow to keep him at home, which is an impossibility.  I hope you parents have it better now.  If autism month has helped with public sensitivity to our children’s behavior, I am grateful.

PJ’s behavior has greatly improved.  I can take him out in public without the fear of other people’s reactions to him, partly because autism awareness has increased.  He is big and intimidating looking , so a sudden or unpredictable move can startle  people and I understand this. He tries very hard to have self control. I read a statement that applies to our situation with our children: “To exercise personal restraint requires more energy than it does to follow every impulse.” I am proud of the restraint that PJ uses. He tries to be a pleasant, co-operative young man and I know that it is not always easy for him.

Until next time: May you have Peace, Love and Prosperity in your life.

Claudreen Jackson

 

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April Is Autism Month

Posted on April 27, 2012 by claudreenjackson

Being as how April is autism month and being as how there was no such thing when PJ was younger, I feel compelled to mark this month with autism activities. After all, I am so old that I don’t know how many more Aprils I have left to be able to get out and about.  I feel that I should be trying to sell books, raise money for the foundation and help with  awareness although there is far more awareness now because there are so many more people with autism. When PJ was younger, autism did not even have its own medical category. We had to  petition the legislature to get autism a separate category.

On April 2, we had the PJ Foundation skating party at Northland Roller Rink. The weekend of April 13th, I was a part of the Spring Book Festival at Laurel Park Place Mall in Livonia, MI.  A group of authors were there with our books. None of us sold much, so mostly it was us talking to each other about our books. We did a lot of mall walking also. I was determined not to shop, but did look around in the stores.

Another PJ Foundation event was held on Sunday, April 22 at Bistro 555 in the Greektown Casino Hotel. Many supporters showed up and we had great food and a chance to touch bases with each other. The hotel was very generous in giving prizes for our raffle.

I was a vendor at the Living With Autism event at the Marriott Hotel in Troy, MI.  The event is presented annually by Metro Parent Magazine and Henry Ford Health System. Of all the people there, I had been “living with autism” the longest since PJ is now 36 years old.

The guest speaker was  Michigan’s Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley.  Mr. Calley has a daughter with autism and is credited with  helping to get autism  insurance reform passed and signed into law in the state of Michigan. This change has been attempted many times, but did not succeed.  It took someone who lives with a child handicapped by autism to know how badly reform was needed. Sadly, it is too late for PJ to benefit from this new law. I hope that it works out well for the rest of you. Let me know.

The keynote speaker was Holly Robinson Peete, an actress who became the parent of  twins. One of the twins , her  son, R.J.  has autism. She and his twin sister, Ryan, wrote a children’s book together.  The book, “My Brother, Charlie” was written to help teach tolerance and understanding for those who have autism. After her speaking presentation, she signed copies of  their book.  Her husband, former Detroit Lion, Rodney Peete has also written a book about autism from a father’s perspective.

There was a long line of people waiting to get their book signed, (me included). As I looked at  all the people in line, I clearly saw the difference between Holly’s autism activism and mine. Holly is an eagle, flying everywhere and I am a chicken, confined to the barnyard, relegated to chicken feed. I hope I live long enough for my status to change.

I can’t believe that I am still speaking out about autism or caring about a status change. I thought that I had retired from autism activism.  There is something about having a son who cannot talk that keeps me motivated to open my mouth and to try to be a part of the solution.

Until next time I leave you with one of my favorite scriptures:  They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles… Isaiah 40:31

Claudreen Jackson

 

 

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Eye Contact

Posted on April 10, 2012 by claudreenjackson

From the time that PJ was first diagnosed in 1976, I was instructed that I had  to get eye contact from him  in order to accomplish anything. PJ did not want to give eye contact. He would run, scream, hit or whatever he had to do to avoid eye contact. For years, he did not want to be touched and would avoid any kind of interaction. It was always a stressful situation for him and for me.

He was seven years old when my first granddaughter, Jacinta was born. This was the only time that he initiated touch. He loved to hold her and would say “baby” when he wanted her. He would gaze at her adoringly and wanted to kiss her on the cheek. I watched him move his face toward her check, then pull back over and over again.  He constantly tried, until one day, he finally kissed her. She was the first person that PJ kissed on his own.

When she was about four or five, PJ started giving her eye contact. He would hold her face and she allowed him to look into her eyes as long as he wanted to.  She was the only person that he would initiate eye contact with. Once he got started, it seemed he couldn’t get enough.

One day, Jacinta left her doll at my house. It was a doll whose eyes opened and closed. PJ started carrying the doll around, looking into the doll’s eyes. Eventually, PJ was walking around with just the head of the doll and looking into her eyes.. I don’t know how he beheaded the doll, but he was only interested in the head and the eyes. Needless to say, this was a strange sight in my already strange household.. He carried that doll’s head for weeks.

I don’t know if eye contact is still the goal for children with autism. I’ve discovered that you can accomplish some goals without eye contact as have some of the professionals who worked with PJ.

When PJ became an adult, he wanted eye contact but was very selective about who would get this eye contact. Jacinta, his sisters and I were his choices. He is much taller than I am, so I have to look up to him. He began to hold my shoulders and look into my eyes with the most beautiful smile. Like Jacinta, I would stand there and let him look into my eyes for as long as he wanted to. If anyone else had looked at me that way, I would have been suspicious of their motives.  This made all the stress, pressure and anxiety worth it. I never would have predicted this look.

This look from PJ inspired this poem: It is included in “Inspired By Autism” and has been included in this blog before. Having gotten another of his beautiful smiles and loving eyes motivated me to include it again. It is dedicated to PJ.

A Love So Pure

A love so pure that I am sure / it’s coming straight from God. / This kind of love comes down from above / and right into my heart.

Your smiling eyes were a big surprise / that I never thought I’d see. / Who knew that one day you / would be smiling down at me?

How could I guess that I’d be blessed / for taking care of you? / You’ve taught me a lot of things / about how love can be true.

I never thought the day would come / when you’d be teaching me. / But now I’m sure that when love is pure / it’s unconditionally.

Until next time, one of my favorite scriptures:  Galatians 6:9. “Be ye not weary in well doing, for in due season, ye will reap if ye faint not”.

Claudreen Jackson

 

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Public Forums

Posted on March 27, 2012 by claudreenjackson

Yesterday (March 26), I attended a public forum held by the Michigan Department of Community Mental Health. These forums are being held at various locations in the state because a new plan is being drafted to improve access to care for people with physical and mental disabilities and the elderly.  MCMH is  requesting input regarding the plan  from people who will be affected by it.

The current system consists of multiple agencies that don’t speak to each other and a way to increase  integration  of services is being created. When the plan is finished and implemented, there will be  agencies that act as a “care bridge” to coordinate services and supports to people with disabilities in the state. It should make for better integration of services.

There will be an ICO (Integrated Care Organization) and a PIHP (Prepaid Integrated Health Plan) that will work together to coordinate services for people with developmental disabilities and behavioral challenges. They will coordinate behavioral health, mental health and medical health  so that a person can go to one agency that will integrate the services that the client needs.

In Michigan, we have “self determination” and “person centered plans” that are already in operation where the client makes the choices for what services they want and need. This new plan should make it much easier for them to get supports and services.  Of course, PJ is not able to make these decisions himself, so I make his choices.

I am not going to confuse you with my confusion about all the details of the proposed change. I am telling you about this because I don’t know if you are aware of public forums where we can go to make our input. When a rule change comes about, the state solicits public input from stakeholders who are directly impacted by the changes. They want to know what is working, what is not working and where do we see gaps in services.

I appreciate the fact that we are  encouraged to speak up and say what we see that is right and what is wrong. In the 1970s and 1980s, I attended many of these public hearings and forums to voice my concerns and comments. I found that I couldn’t sit still and wait for someone else to say what was on my mind. I am thankful that we live in America where we have freedom of speech. My son can’t speak, so I have to speak for him and others like him. The fact that PJ can’t speak made me overcome my fear and reluctance to speak to a roomful of strangers.

When state agencies request public comments, they really want to hear what you have to say. It may not fix the problems but at the bare minimum, you  are doing what you can to be a part of the solution.  The outcome is out of your hands and we know that some problems are too massive for quick, simple solutions. The fact that they encourage participation and ask for ideas and suggestions makes me feel that they are trying to help our situations. I had no ideas or comments for yesterday’s forum but I attended so that I can be aware of proposed changes. If these changes come about, it will be an improvement in the existing  situation.

I had no idea that I would still need to be concerned about these issues after all these years.   I thought that my time for active public participation was over and did not plan to attend any more public hearings and forums. However, being the parent of an adult who may be affected by the changes pushed me out of my house to attend the meeting.  I remain “Inspired By Autism”.

Until next time: May you have Peace, Love and Prosperity in your life.

Claudreen Jackson

 

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The Future

Posted on March 19, 2012 by claudreenjackson

I am now living in the “future” that I was so afraid of 30 years ago. I spent so many years trying to bring PJ “out” of autism that I almost became autistic myself. I finally had to realize that he was not going to be one of the success stories and that I had to accept him as he is, autism and all. I am sure that you know how difficult that was for me, but we love him even more because of it.

PJ could not function above his cognitive abilities or his desire. He did not want to learn what we were trying to teach him and could become very aggressive when pushed too far. When he was interested in something, he learned quickly and became very good at it. He is a good cook, an excellent skater and is good at art. He also has a beautiful singing voice, but is interested in melody and cannot  sing lyrics.

We let him sing with his sister, Stephanie, at an autism benefit many years ago. They had a couple of songs that they sang together.  Stephanie would sing and PJ would chime in at a certain point in the song.  Since it was for autism, I thought that whatever PJ came out with would be a lesson in autism for the audience. It was also a lesson for me because PJ turned his back to the audience  and would not turn around to face them.

There were many such incidents. PJ was only capable of adjusting to what we wanted up to a point and not beyond that. Where he has made a great adjustment is that he is now pleasant and co-operative if he knows what is expected of him. He smiles a lot more and wants to be helpful. He has become patient.

PJ and I have survived each other and the path I took with him is the only path that I could have taken. Many of the things I was afraid would happen did not happen. Many of the things that I wanted to happen also did not happen. Many of my questions from 30 years ago have been answered and many have not. Sometimes we have to accept the fact that there might not be an answer. Especially in autism. Sometimes we have to learn that we can endure far more than we expected we were capable of.  We have to endure far more than we want to. We learn that we are far more resilient than we thought we could be. Autism teaches hard lessons.

Even though I am now in old age, (chronologically, I am past 70, but 70 is the new 50, especially if you have been toughened up by autism),  I am  looking forward to the future with optimism. It took a long time. The plans that I had might not be the plan that God had for me. I finally realize that. Maybe I still have some good days in the future. I would like to think so. I would like to share a poem that I wrote many years ago. It is included in “Inspired By Autism”.

He Who Holds The Future

When storms are raging ’round me / and I’m drowning in quicksand / And unhappy things are happening / Things that I don’t understand.

When I don’t know what else to do / I’ll just do what I can / because He who holds the    Future / He also holds my hand .

I’ll believe that God is with me / every step of the way. / If He brings me to it / He’ll bring me through it. / So in His care I’ll stay.

And I will face my Future / according to His plan / because He who holds the Future / also holds my hand.

Whatever awaits you in the future, God is already there.

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

Claudreen Jackson

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When We Went To Camp-2

Posted on March 7, 2012 by claudreenjackson

When PJ and I went to camp, it was a time of renewal for both of us, but it was also an eye-opening experience for me. Autism is so consuming of your time, energy and emotions that I forgot that there were other disabilities and other parents with challenging situations.  Here at camp, I was exposed to children and adults with other disabilities.

In my role as camp counselor, I was supposed to help the other campers as well as  take care of PJ. Some of the campers had multiple disabilities. A camper who was deaf, blind and mute wanted my help. She took my hand and was trying to write a word on my palm, which was her method of communicating. Not only could I not figure out what she wanted, I almost walked us into a tree because I was looking at her instead of where we were going.

This person with multiple disabilities finally got tired of me, dropped my hand and  I helped her find a real counselor. The counselor said that the girl was trying to write the word “nurse” in my hand because she wanted to go to the nurse. She could write a few easy words in your palm when she wanted to communicate, but I could not figure it out. I felt incompetent at not being able to help her, but it helped me to be more sensitive to people who were not able to help even  if they wanted to.

What I was good at was listening and talking to the verbal campers. Every day, I talked to a set of blind twins who were in their fifties.  They told me terrible stories of how they had been abused by their stepmother and step brother. They said that their father didn’t know how they were treated when he was not around and they didn’t tell him because they wanted him to be happy.

Though they were considered retarded, they came up with ways to get back at their stepbrother. They lived in an upstairs apartment and said that they learned to count the steps that it took to get downstairs and pass under the window. They dropped a radio out the window just as the brother was passing under the window. It hit him on the head. They were laughing as they told me the story.

They did quite a few things to him and always pretended it was an accident caused by their blindness and retardation. It was interesting how close they were and how they helped and supported each other. They were far more intelligent than people gave them credit for.  They said that being under- estimated didn’t bother them because it helped them get away with whatever they did. They would say, “It was an accident because we can’t see”.

They said that they had gotten tired of the stress of trying to figure out and find what clothes to put on each morning. They solved this problem by sleeping in their clothes. This made the start of their day much easier and they were proud of themselves for having come up with this solution. I was proud of them, too. They had other solutions  to problems that they had come up with on their own.

This trip to camp made a lasting impact on me because it helped me to see past autism. I had come to camp feeling very sorry for myself but by the time I left I realized how blessed I was. As much as I hated to admit it, things could have been worse for PJ. He can not talk, but he can see and hear. He has never been abused. I left camp with new physical  and mental energy.

I read one of my favorite scriptures, Romans 12:2. “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”. I now realized that renewing of the mind is possible. Paying for camp for needy children is one of the most helpful things that the PJ Foundation does. I know it helps.

Until next time; May you, too, be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Claudreen Jackson

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When We Went To Camp

Posted on February 21, 2012 by claudreenjackson

When we went to camp back in the early 1980s, there was only one camp in the state of Michigan that accepted campers with autism. There was another camp that would accept campers with autism for two weeks during the summer. If you missed that two week window, you were out of luck. I hope some of you younger parents will let me know about the camp situation for campers with autism. I know that there have been some changes, but I don’t know how much.

I was on the state board of directors at that time, so I was trying to get more camps to accept campers with autism.  I did not have any luck. Then a friend of mine got a summer job as a cook at a camp for children with disabilities. OK. so now I thought I could send PJ to that camp. Still, no luck. They accepted campers with any disability. Any disability except autism, that is. They explained that they did not have staff who were familiar with autism. They did make me an offer, though. PJ could come to camp if I came with him as his counselor.

I took them up on the offer. I thought that maybe exposure to someone with autism would help change their rules. They said that I could also help be a counselor for the other campers.

So, off to camp we went. PJ and I both like water and trees, so spending our days  outdoors was good for both of us. I could feel the both of us calming down. The healing properties of nature and all the fresh air and sunshine was just what we needed. We did not eat meals with the other campers, so when they went to meals, PJ and I had the camp all to ourselves. We both loved it. This experience is one of the reasons that when we started the PJ Foundation, paying for camp for children whose parents could not afford it was first on our list.

The camp was on a lake, so the staff took us on boat rides. One day, while everyone was at lunch, PJ wanted to go on a boat ride. He was pulling me toward the water. He was even saying “boat” and “water”. The more I tried not to go toward the water, the more agitated he became. (You know how agitated they can become).  So, I decided that we would get into one of the paddle boats and stay near the shore. We walked down to the water.

However, when we reached the shore, common sense returned and I knew that getting into a paddle boat with an agitated PJ was an accident waiting to happen.  Everyone was at lunch so there was no one to save us if something did happen.  Now, what do I do? I knew that walking away from the water would increase PJ’s agitation. There were a couple of canoes on the bank. So we got into one of the canoes while I tried to figure out what to do.

We sat in the canoe and looked at the water.  We sat and sat and sat.  After nearly an hour, I could see that he was peaceful and calm again. We got out of the canoe and walked  away.  He was happy. How could I have known that sitting in a boat on the shore and looking at the water would have the same effect as actually going for a boat ride? I would never have predicted that it would work out that way.

PJ has been going to camp most summers since then. At age 36, he still loves camp. I cannot mention the word “camp” too far in advance, because he will go and get his suitcase. There are only two camps in the state of Michigan that accept all ages and all disabilities.  He attends St. Francis on the lake and if you go to their web site, you can see a video of the camp and my interview about the camp.  PJ’s Foundation also donates to the camp and I wish we could do more.

Until next time: May you have Peace, Love and Prosperity in your life.

Claudreen Jackson

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What PJ Has Not Learned

Posted on February 9, 2012 by claudreenjackson

It seems that most of PJ’s 36 years have been spent with us trying to teach him something. By now, I have accepted that there are things that he cannot or will not learn. Because he has taught me about unconditional love, I love him just the way he is.

PJ has not learned to navigate independently in the community.  We went through a phase when he would leave the house when I was in the bathroom or bedroom (and they say that people with autism  are not sneaky). Of course, as soon as I discovered that he was gone, I would look for him before he got too far away. He moves very fast, so I had to move fast , too.

Once, a stranger rang my bell because she had seen PJ barefoot and in pajamas on the next block. She had questioned him and of course he wasn’t answering , so she called the police and started following him to keep an eye on him.  She followed him home and let me know what had happened as she cancelled the police call. I had only been upstairs for five minutes, so I wondered if he had gotten that far that fast, but I thanked her for her concern.

The next time he left the house, I was ready. I went upstairs and waited. Sure enough, he left the house, but this time I followed him. He was down the street, around the corner and on the next block in two minutes. As I tried to catch up with him, he crossed a street while the light was red. Thank God no cars were coming! I caught him, took his hand and brought him home. He came willingly which was not always the case. These incidents stopped once I had a bell installed that rang when the door was opened from the inside and he found out that he couldn’t leave without me knowing.

He has not learned to distinguish whether a public rest room is for men or for women. I used to take him into the ladies’ room with me until he was about nine and the ladies started complaining. I tried to explain his condition, but this was in the 1980s and autism was far more rare than it is now. Ladies didn’t care what the situation was, they didn’t want him in there. So now, I had the fear of letting him go to the mens’ room alone.  Now, when we are in public, I have to make sure that he goes into the mens’ room. He has walked into a ladies room, but I quickly showed him the mens’ room. I have tried to teach him to read the word on the door, but don’t know if he understands.

When I found out that he was interested in the washer and the dishwasher, I thought I could teach  him to use them. I taught him to measure soap or detergent, but found that when my back was turned , he would pour it all into the washer.  He ruined a load of clothes by pouring a whole bottle of bleach into  the washer. He would run the washer just to see the water, so I would have to put clothes in to show him that we didn’t run it empty.

What bothered me for years is that he has not learned to talk. I finally realized that he is not deprived of anything that he wants or wants to do. When we go shopping, he picks up whatever he wants.  He is totally independent at home, so he takes care of his own needs and wants.  He does not want conversation enough to even try to talk. I have accepted what is.

Until next time; May you have peace, love and prosperity in your life.

Claudreen Jackson

 

 

 

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Housebroken

Posted on January 27, 2012 by claudreenjackson

No, we don’t have a pet, so that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the housebroken that happens when your house is broken into, as happened to me last week. Yes, I have a burglar alarm, but no, I did not have it on. I was gone for only three hours, from 1 to 4 p.m. I was running some errands in the neighborhood, knew that I wouldn’t be gone long, so felt that it was not necessary to put the alarm on.

The burglary and vandalism was reported by Fox News and if you saw the report, you saw what a mess they left. Pulling out dresser drawers and dumping the contents, emptying shelves and even unmaking a bed. I had been feeling secure because of the burglar alarm, and I thought of breakins  as happening at night. (I do know better). I have learned my lesson and will always turn my alarm on when I leave the house.  Thank  God that PJ and I were not at home, but of course they knew that.

Many times. I would not set the alarm because I did not want PJ to become interested in it. You never know what will interest him. When he discovered the thermostat for the furnace, he was constantly turning it up or down or off. When we became extra cold or extra hot, we would check the thermostat, and sure enough , the setting would be changed. When it first happened, I almost called the furnace company before I realized what had happened.  When I caught him changing the thermostat, I  told him it would break.  That seemed to stop him.

The burglars entered and exited through a window. They took a lot of items,  but they did not take anything big.  I was surprised that they took my prescription pills, (they left the Motrin). That meant I had to call the insurance company and the pharmacy to replace the medication. I believe they were looking for drugs, money and jewelry.

The conversation came up again about me moving out of Detroit. I love Detroit and I feel that the negative happenings are reported far more than the positive. There are many wonderful people and places in Detroit and I realize that negative forces are everywhere.  There have also been burglaries in the suburbs, (maybe not as many) so I am staying put, but now I am a little wiser.

I’ve said that having a child with autism does not exempt us from all the other problems in the world. I think that having a child with autism for 36 years has helped me to know what to not let upset me. I have reached my saturation point in getting upset and try to remain  as calm as possible, now. PJ is more calm when I am calm.

I consistently read things that help me to remain positive.  In 1995, I published a book of poems that I wrote , “Let There Be Light”.  During that time, I was reading a very uplifting publication called “PhenemonNEWS.” I included something in the book  from “PhenemonNews” and I am including it here. It is a quote from one of their contributing writers Rishikavi Raghudas.

“Darkness is capable of anything. I will not contribute to this horrifying twilight. Though all the terrors of the night be all around me, still I will celebrate the Light and glorify the dawn.”

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

Claudreen Jackson

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