Love And Special Needs Children

It was March 8, 2012, and I was in my car at the Temple University Hospital frantically searching for my parking receipt to leave the hospital garage. There were so many reasons not to leave. I had just left the cardiac intensive care unit where my 57-year-old husband, Harry, had received his last treatments. I knew that the moment I left that garage my life would never be the same.
How could it? At the time, I was 53-years-old, a part-time freelance writer and the mother of a six-year-old child with autism, and I could barely grasp the concept that I had just become a widow. I was in mid-life and had to re-create my universe in every respect. But first I had to plan a funeral and say good-bye to my soulmate and husband of 20 years, who tried to make my every dream come true.
Shortly after, I vamped up my writing and public relations career, learned how to take care of the house and finances, and became the single parent of a high-functioning, but extremely hyper special needs child.
This was nearly six years ago, and I have learned so many life lessons that I am eager to share. We plan and God, or whatever higher power you believe in, throws in many twists and turns. I have far more tenacity and resilience than I ever thought I had. I learned that we each need support from new friends and family, and to make buckets of lemonade out of the lemons we have been given.
Instead of dwelling on my tremendous grief and loss, I reached out to new publications, support groups, autism organizations and others to see if they could use my 25 years of writing, editing and research experience, and my newly-found blogging and social media skills, to help them spread their vital messages of hope, kindness, inclusion, patience and acceptance for all of us. Learn more at: autismcaresfoundation.org