The Touch of the Master's Hand

Many years ago I read this poem, and memorized it. I felt the words speak to my soul. The masses may judge on the outward appearance, but God sees with different eyes and hears with different ears, and HE knows the intrinsic worth and value. It's been years since I thought of this poem, and once again it has touched me, on a different level. How appropriate to relate this to our children with special needs. Many might view the child as less than desirable...but oh the amazing change that can be wrought by the Touch of the Master's Hand!

The Touch of the Master's Hand

It was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
Hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three",

But, No,
From the room far back a grey haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet,
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.
"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,
All battered with bourbon and gin,
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin.
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.
But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Master's Hand.

by Myra Brooks Welch

So grateful for His Touch and

Donna

Autism...A Diagnosis of HOPE!

A few years ago, I was asked to teach a class for parents of newly diagnosed children. These families felt frustrated and had little hope for their children. I had an idea to make a PowerPoint presentation filled with pictures of my son, to document his progress. As he was growing up, we worked very hard to have beautiful pictures of him. Often (Always) we would take 30 - 50 pictures to get one we loved. The others were in files on our computer. Who wants to look at not-really-so-wonderful pictures that slap you in the face screaming there is something wrong with your child?

So in order to make the PowerPoint, I had to go through those files. What a shock! It became so obvious how far my son had come. You could see when LIFE was breathed back into my son. We are so grateful to Early Intervention for being there to help Jonathan. We are even more grateful to the dedicated teachers and therapists who have done more than required to help our kids. And we are ultimately grateful to the Lord for His touch on our precious son's life.

Today I finally figured out how to add music to my two year old PowerPoint Presentation (A miracle in itself!) and also learned how to convert the Powerpoint to a movie I could upload!

(First click the arrow to start the video. Then if you click the rectangle on the bar at the bottom of the video, you'll be able to see it full screen. Makes it way easier to see the pictures!)

A Dozen Thoughts - What Every Parent of an ASD Child Wish the Teacher Knew

1) It is never a shock that my child has behavior issues. I live with him. I know.

2) Tell me 2 good things about my child when you have to tell me something bad. Think of it as a sandwich. Good/Bad/Good.

3) Let me know you like my child.

4) Realize that I often feel guilty that he is in your class, because I know he takes up so much more of your time and effort than typical children do.

5) Even though my child has non-compliance issues, I am not a wimpy parent. I work harder, correct more, brainstorm more, set up reward programs, try to be diligently consistent, read more, worry more than parents of typical children.

6) Include me in on decisions about my child.

7) Ask me what works at home.

8) Try to go easy on the homework. We have enough struggles around here! Understand, if you assign homework we may or may not be able to get it done.

9) If my son says the tag in his shirt bothers him, cut it out, you totally have my permission. If you don't cut it out, plan on a bad day.

10) Remember that my child is a few years behind socially and emotionally. He may need help remembering to bring home jackets and lunch boxes. I have extras, but when they start to pile up at school, send them home.

11) Try to use my child's strengths in the classroom if you can. It will make his self-esteem soar.

12) Applaud me for getting him to school on time. You have no idea...

I am...

Donna

Mourning into Dancing!

This has been a rough summer.

Jonathan has been booted (or nearly booted) from everything we've enrolled him in. Twice in the past few weeks, I've gotten calls to come pick him up, and told he was not welcome to participate. This has broken my heart.

My son is a wonderful 8 year old boy with high functioning autism, very smart and is usually pretty easily redirected. Following the last incident (he was asked not to return to church camp after the first day), he said, "Mom, we need to try all the camps in Tennessee to find one who wants me. I need to have fun someplace."

There is a community center about an hour's drive from my house, that we've taken Jonathan to once in a while. They have a "Kid's Night Out" on Friday nights once a month. So we drop him off for that, and have a date night. This place is awesome. Has several swimming pools, a huge gym, a bowling alley, etc. Plus, the new director interned teaching autistic children!! (The camp and KNO programs are not specifically for special needs, however). I called her,and asked if she thought Jonathan could participate in a week of camp. She was absolutely sure he was welcome, and had no doubt everything would be fine.

Here I am in a hotel room in Pigeon Forge, and my son is in the camp. He is loving it, and they are loving him. The director just called me to tell me how good he's doing. He beat all the kids his age in a swimming relay!! (Aquatic Man has appeared again!) He's cooperating, following instructions, being polite, asking permission, and making friends. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!

I cried after her phone call...this time because of joy. We are so blessed to have found this place. Does a Mama's heart good!

My goofy son trying to look like a shark!

I am...

Donna

Tough, Rough Week

I'm sure you've had them. A week filled with challenges and frustrations. And just the time I've made peace with it all, a new complication is rolling in like a Tsunami. OK...that's a bit of an exageration.

I've had a week filled with gallbladder screaming, knee issues and eye problems (me); rushing to the hospital with alamingly high blood pressure (Mike); knowing his insurance will not cover anything because of pre-existing condition (UGH); then finding out on top of that a extremely high number on blood glucose level (Mike); My son was booted out of day camp within 2 hours of his first day (Jonathan); and then again, problems in a church music camp (different place) , and I was told that they just were not set up for special needs kids. I really really NEED a break. Deep sigh.

Those were the main things. So, I'm having a hard time in general blogging. Don't want to sound depressed, because I'm not. But just trying to wrestle with some issues. Stay tuned... I know God is at work, and I'll be reporting soon. : )

Even when I don't sound like it...I'm still....

Donna