It is a great honor to have been asked to write a guest post on a blog entitled, "Journeys With Autism". Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg, a remarkable woman, is the author of The Uncharted Path: My Journey with Late-Diagnosed Autism. ItIt's a story of courage, vulnerability and acceptance. Rachel also hosts and writes a blog about passion, advocacy and re-definition of our perceptions of disability. Please visit me at her blog site: www.journeyswithautism.com.
I have just come here from Rachel's blog where I read the most beautiful heart filled words I have heard in my entire life. You have an amazing gift to convey such a deeply seated reality for mankind. Interconnectedness is as vital as our basic autonomic responses of eating breathing and sleeping. We must have it to thrive.
ReplyDeleteMy son has autism. He lack social interconnectedness in a different way but is wounded nonetheless. That wound has transformed my life as well. So, with rapt attention, I devoured each and every word of your post with empathy and heartfelt hugs. I hope you can feel them!!
What a beautiful smile Adam has! His eye contact in this photo, IMO, is magnificent. (My son has a lot of difficulty with eye contact).
I'm glad others are honoring you and Adam...I'm glad you and Adam are honoring others.
ReplyDeleteWow! You came at us with a galaxy of thoughts and emotions, and I think a shooting star or meteor just whizzed by my head. That was a close call. Just a few thoughts (as I sigh in relief) about all those scary people who make us so uncomfortable because they can see into our souls and expose our own wounds. They include the elderly (hey that’s us…well some of us), the chronically ill, the mentally ill and challenged, the terminally ill, people in wheelchairs, people who can’t talk, and people in wheelchairs who can’t talk, to name a few. Some of this fear is understandable as none of us likes to be reminded of the idea of losses-- real, perceived, eventual, or potential, including loss of youth, health, bodily functions, mind, etc.
ReplyDeleteI recall on your son Adam’s 25 th birthday blog a photo of the young Dzialo family with the caption “Those were the days”, when Adam excelled at speaking and moving with the reflexes of a cat as he caught, kicked away and fearlessly put his body in the way of those hard, high velocity hockey pucks aimed right at him. Also in the photo was the sweet, innocent and very cute little Aime clutching to mom and dad who had no hint of gray in their hair. I can just imagine the mixed emotions reminiscing about the good old days and to grieve the considerable losses that have occurred since. But as you put it, life altering events took your family to a higher plane of living, loving and understanding, and the credit goes to all five of you for accepting the challenge of growing together and allowing yourselves to be guided by the universe. Thank you once again for hitting all the right notes, and this time, in a particularly all encompassing dazzling form.