To know it's a journey is the first step

Greetings to one and all.

Although I have been thinking about starting a blog and share about my long, dramatic journey as a mother of a mental ill child, I have had great hesitations and doubts.  Finally, I feel it is time to share my experiences with others in order to encourage those who may be walking through the same or similar journeys in this life.   One of the first things that I have had to accept with a child who was clinically diagnosed at age 4, was it's a journey.  A journey by noun definition is traveling from one place to another, usually taking a long time, or progressing from one stage to another.  That is definitely how life is for a child who is developing differently than normal and has either autism or any other mental illness.  Some stages of development take longer, much longer than others.  Some progress is minimal and if looked at in short periods of time seems like nothing has changed or improved, but if looked at in longer periods of time, like years, can be noticed ever so slightly.

  For me, I wish someone would have told me that it's a journey, you do travel through stages, but some may be longer than others.  The other thing I have learned is that my journey was not designed to be like everyone else.  Yes, my child is different.  Yes, some people can put unnecessary pressure on you because they might look, learn, act different.  It my journey and not everyone will understand it.   You stay close to those who do or at least try, and you move on from those who don't.  They will add extra baggage to your journey and weigh you down and actually impede your progress.

For those on a journey, reluctantly starting a journey or about to embark on a journey, be encouraged, a journey by verb definition is to travel.  You will move from the place you are in.  If you are in some of the places on my journey that I have been in, that is hope enough to go on.

Until we meet again,
Lynne