Just To Hear His Thoughts
Just to hear his thoughts…
Imagine a 2 year old in an 18 year old’s body – your son you love desperately but all you want to do is have a conversation – hear his thoughts. Welcome to Randy & Nadine, the parents of Caleb, a beautiful 18 year old boy with Autism. It is a honor to discuss Autism Awareness this week. April is Autism Awareness month & on today’s show, we interview this beautiful couple about the joys and difficulties they face on a daily basis. They open up and share about their journey, which has not been an easy one.
Caleb is a big boy. You can imagine not only the emotional strain of Autism, but the physical strain as well. Nadine shares how their mindsets had to be adjusted once finding out about Caleb’s diagnosis. Dreams changes and goals had to be adjusted.
One of the questions I asked Nadine & Randy is what is the hardest & the best part about raising a son with Autism. I have to say, Nadine’s answer nearly brought me to tears. I got all choked up when she mentioned that Caleb is non verbal & all she wants is to know what is going on in his head. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to have a teenage son that you have not been able to hear directly from him verbally – things such as his dreams, hopes, desires, hurts.
Randy’s life verse is a beautiful one for Motivational Monday. Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” I absolutely love how Randy subtly ‘slaps us in the faith’ (as I like to say), by saying, ‘We all love to receive justice & mercy, but we don’t always think about giving justice & mercy.’ This stopped me in my tracks. It made me do an immediate inventory of the people I encountered today where I could have or should have shown more of these virtues. Answer: probably everyone.
Randy & Nadine are beautiful people. Their hearts, their marriage, their family – so beautiful. I realized that if I saw Nadine (or Randy) next to me at Starbucks, I would never know that she has a son with Autism and is probably longing for just a 5 minute break. I have to repent of my narrow & selfish view of the world and turn my eyes upward to look at those around me. I want to extend justice, mercy & walk humbly realizing I never know what someone else might be dealing with.
Micah 6:8 might be an addition to my bathroom mirror as a daily reminder…