"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference." -- The Serenity Prayer
We all know this as the Serenity Prayer. Quite often for me it also is the "Sanity Prayer". Having two children with Autism forces you to reevaluate your life and focus on tackling Autism head on. When you first receive the diagnosis, your world is literally turned upside down. Eventually you come to terms with what it all means, the implications, the adjustment and the reality that your vision for the future has been shattered. What follows is often an overwhelming need to try anything and everything to "fix" your child. While that instinct is still very much in the forefront of our daily lives, time, experience and perspective have helped us settle into the reality that Autism will always be in our lives in some form or another. You hear stories about people curing their children and bringing them back from the deep recesses of Autism. While I don't doubt that is the case for some, the vast majority of us will never find that peace, not fully. It is coming to terms with that fact which will make the difference in our daily lives.
This is not to say that you shouldn't fight tooth and nail to get the best services possible and research and explore every avenue available to you because as a parent that is your job. It is what we do, we protect, we try to educate and raise our children to reach their fullest potential, whatever that may be. My children are improving all the time because we fight hard, advocate for our children, collaborate with therapists, research strategies and implement. It is truly an exhausting process day in and day out, feeling like you are always fighting an uphill battle with no end in sight. However, during this process there will be problems that no matter what you throw at "it", things will remain the same or only budge ever so slightly. While this can be discouraging and often times seemingly insurmountable, it is reality. I'm not proposing you give up, that there is no hope...this is what what fuels our fire EVERYDAY. Hope that our children will reach their fullest potential and we have NO doubt this will happen.
What I am suggesting is this: Remember the process is long, it is a marathon, not a sprint. Take it one day at a time, one battle at a time, and most of all to keep your sanity......Ask God to grant you the serenity to accept the things you cannot change; the courage to change the things you can; and the wisdom to know the difference. I promise, it will save your sanity, prepare you for the marathon and it will remind you that you are not alone in this process.
