When I became a Parent...
by Linda Newland
June 26, 2002
 

When I became a parent

I did it out of love

I never knew what life would bring

I was young...and just in love

When I became a parent

there were no rule books any where

just a sense of right from wrong

with "hysteria" in the air

When I became a parent

I learned what life's about

Its ups and downs

led me to the mountain

and what life is "all" about.

When I became a parent

I learned "how" to pray:

Will they be safe, will they come home?

How can I show them the way?

But than life through me a curve

and "autism" became my name

Black and white opposed to gray

became my household name

Life was mixed with behaviors

that many would abhor

But my family met the challenges

and life became "galore"

So through it all

AS has been the light

Though dark and shining times

I owe it all to ASDs

as they have been my rythmn.

So when you feel down and empty

Let your ASPIES show the way

They may over whelm you

but NEVER fail to show you the WAY!

Through all in all, through thick and thin

I would not change a phrase

My life would never be the same

...if an ASPIE never showed me the way.

I am richer now in words than "I" can never explain

All I can tell you is how through my life...

an ASPIE...changed my ways..

I did not want to listen

or hear the rhetoric

I was non spectrum and could "not" hear all the rest

The words were jumbled left and right

and sensory galore

It clouded the issue

That ASDs stand for.

They stand for pride and wisdom

An intellect to die for

A sense of pride and justice

we would all do better to strive for.

© Linda Newland 2002

"We each have our own way of living in the world, together we are like a symphony.
Some are the melody, some are the rhythm, some are the harmony
               It all blends together, we are like a symphony, and each part is crucial.
We all contribute to the song of life."
...Sondra Williams

We might not always agree; but TOGETHER we will make a difference.