The Quiet Crisis Next Door

Category: Ariana’s Posts

  • The Ghosts of Christmas Left Behind

    A couple of nights ago, Andy removed much of our outdoors holiday light display, leaving only remnants of bush netting with lights that might discreetly pass undetected during any roadside scrutiny from the HOA until he has enough spare time to finish the job. Inside our home, three deflated stockings still grace the walls…and one…

  • January Gratitude & Some Reading

    To J.T. Nearly 7 years ago our family stood before a judge, holding a beautiful nine month old baby boy who had been our foster son, humble and joyful as a judge declared we were now legally his parents in every way. Reams of records can attest: nobody involved with his case then could have…

  • So Many Questions…

    This is a post that is- and yet isn’t- about me. As I contemplated how I wanted to approach writing a bit more about our holidays this year, I knew that what would feel most joyful for some to read would be focused on the superficial aspects. A diorama of Christmas trappings and traditions as…

  • Catching Up With NMT

    Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) has had an important role in our son’s progress, helping him to acquire skills he was not able to gain with the other therapy modalities. Tony has been receiving services at NMTSA since July of 2015. In that time, he’s worked with 5 therapists, many of whom moved on to higher…

  • A Year of Gifts

    So much of the gift giving in our communities is concentrated and condensed into days of prescribed celebration. But some of the best presents have trickled in bit by bit this past year, oft ill-wrapped by other circumstances and generally unannounced by fanfare, tags, or cards. Perhaps they are small compared to what some would…

  • December Gratitude & Some Reading

    A few notes for little moments with big impacts I do not really know any of the three individuals my gratitude notes are dedicated to this month, though I do pass by a couple of them regularly when we are out doing public therapy. Each of them has shined kindness on our circumstances over the…

  • Serving Up a Thanksgiving Gathering Success

    As I begin to write this, some of you are still laughing together, enjoying the gathering Tony and I left behind. He and I were only there an hour, but for a holiday celebration that brought together so many people from our family that is still a remarkable achievement for our little man. Perhaps some…

  • When a Full Day Off Isn’t One of Your Options…

    So, what happens in families such as ours when one of the parents gets sick? I’m going to quote part of an email I sent out April 23, 2017 to a group of friends: “Hello my sweet friends, I hope all of you are doing well! I’m slowly getting back to feeling normal. My cold…

  • Picturing Community Safety

    At the meeting place of Tony’s growth rate, his sensory differences, the profundity of his Autism, his intense impulsivity, and his heavily delayed risk assessment beats the heart of some of my deepest fears for our son’s future. We remain racing against time, have been engaged in every strategy we can think of for years…

  • Preventing Risk Assessment Horror Stories in the Car

    My friends and loved ones, I nearly sent out a notice today saying I was taking the next few weeks off so that I could focus on surviving the holidays. There has been so much going on, I’ve been fighting through seasonal allergies that brought the gift of mild sinus irritation… and I am just…