Ariana's Posts
346 posts
To J.N. – for walking an extra mile with our family In an earlier post, I recounted how J.N. from Arizona Children’s Association offered during our first assessment meeting to visit Tony weekly to help generalize his cooperation with others. As the case manager who oversees the administration of benefits for Tony’s ABA programs, J.N.
At the beginning of this month, I was opening up our front door around 5pm for the extremely patient Ms. C, who does ABA in the evenings with Tony three days a week. She opened the conversation with comments about Autism Awareness month, and I gave her what I know must have been an incredibly
There is an idiom that echoes and chases after me from deeper memories: “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” Maybe there are patches of grass on a balding bit of earth, or moss-covered rocks, and birds that warble out jubilant notes as they wing through the sun-glistened air. But if the trees are
This will come as no surprise to those of you who have been reading with us for a while now, but Tony doesn’t like dentists any more than he likes doctors. We’ve not really discussed specifics much for his dental visits, in part because we’ve had years of experiences to talk about and I struggle
To Bandit, Unlimited Gratitude I knew that first time you and Hannah met at one of our local Humane Society pet adoption centers that I would be greatly in your debt. I saw the sparkle enter her eyes, the joy on her face as you rubbed up against her and bounded around, eager to be
Originally, I had planned to discuss the sleep-related challenges Tony had during his early years in this week’s post. But honestly, the last two posts- by nature of the circumstances laid bare- starkly avoided most anything approaching cheer and even I need a break from that. Often what we have here is not simply a
But, it’s probably not what you think. Trying to explain the Fall of 2013 would be a book all by itself. I cannot begin to convey with a single post much less anything approaching brevity the sensory battlefield we were already entrenched on. Let’s just say, things were difficult by the time I was getting
I want to start this post out with a few concise thoughts. My concept of fitness is very utilitarian- I do what I do for my functional needs (which change over time) and for my health. As a person with a history of body dysmorphia and disordered eating, I have a very uncomfortable relationship with
When I described our first meeting with J.N. a couple of weeks ago, I kept the cover firmly closed on the subject of my own self-care. This is I think an incredibly important subject when it comes to families of individuals with extensive needs, but experiences can vary widely and there are the rights and
To Heidi, Randi, Derril, & Kyle The day I thought my digital piano was starting the long, slow process of gasping out it’s last, I sat in an empty chapel and played notes that tried to restrain my tears, but could do nothing to erase the depth of my sorrow. I am the most mediocre
