I wrote those words over 20 years ago when I began to reflect on the way Christ came to me in mercy from my earliest childhood. I haven’t been able to shake that image, through all these years, of the saving gift of tears. I read about tears in spiritual writings. I have experienced the gift of tears when I have needed healing or repentance. I practice tears. I am in many ways still a beginner, but I have learned a little about the discipline of weeping: If you’re going to clear your eyes of false reality, you have to learn to cry in truth. The fathers advise us to weep for our sins. Yet, most of us don’t spontaneously burst into tears of…
writing, autism, & theology as a mother of joy
Posts from the “spiritual formation” Category
There are lots of reasons that women wear hats or scarves or veils. Some people wear them because they want to promote a culture of modesty. Some wear them to identify with a group. Some wear them from obedience. (Obedience can be a shortcut to wisdom if you obey someone wise.) I cover my head because of power. It’s part of the uniform of my rank in God’s service. I serve the Lord God of Hosts. Hosts is the English translation of Sabaoth, which is feminine plural. That’s right. Every Sunday around the world, we share the Seraphic hymn, “Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth.” Well, you might say, grammar is tricky. Maybe there’s some unknown reason that in this one instance, God’s…
Categories: christian, concrete thinking, discernment, encouragement, faith, spiritual formation, Uncategorized
For those of us who ask the help of saints in our daily lives, one of the first questions that comes along with an autism diagnosis/recognition is, “Who is the patron saint of autism?” As far as I know, there are no official patron saints of autism. Yet, I can attest to the help and intervention of several saints in our autistic lives. Here are some of the saints that have made themselves known to us as helpers for autistic Christians. Holy Theotokos. Sometimes it’s easy to read past important parts of scripture, like when the educated people of the time were surprised at how much Jesus knew when he had not studied in the temple or gotten the best education of his day.…
A few months before we converted to the Greek Orthodox Church, I had a dream. In dreams, persons are houses, and this house was my own soul. I had smoothed the walls of the main rooms so that they could be written with holy icons. I watched through my own eyes and the double-vision distance that dreams give as I tried again and again to draw a holy figure on the walls with a little piece of charcoal. I prayed and worked diligently and brought my family in to see my work and rejoice with me. All that was on the walls were scribbles. The lines I had thought would show the visage of saints ready to be filled with light and color, were…
Tagged: conversion, dreams, pondering
Today is Autism Awareness Day. Many people of faith are wondering how they can welcome, engage, and serve with persons with autism. Here are 7 tips, from my faithful autistic family to yours. Keep the format and ESPECIALLY the social routine for entering the learning time/space consistent and predictable. For instance, my Sunday school class always includes the children leaving their parents at the door, walking all the way across the room to the prayer area, and having the option of placing flowers or a felt candle in the prayer area. That routine eases the anxiety of children on the spectrum, because they don’t have to wonder what to do when they get to class. They have a built-in routine to participate. Another example…
It’s been several months since my last church bag post. One of my children has started exhibiting strong sensory needs in church combined with an ability to be redirected. I made a new church bag set for her that I describe in the video below. Scroll down for free printables to make your own focus board. You can also use the free printables from my other Special Needs Resources. Cut out the images that you wish to use and arrange them on cardstock for use in directing focus. Church Focus Printables: Holy Week Focus Board 1 Holy Week Focus Board 2 Print these and cut out the ones that are part of your church tradition. Mount them using tape, glue, or laminate onto a piece of…
Over the past couple of years, I have had the joy of seeing the visual schedule I made for the Orthodox Liturgy in use. Since I made the original version with the goal of avoiding the standard visual schedule need for cutting out squares, laminating, and using velcro, it lacked the flexibility to work perfectly across local customs. Taking into account my experience and conversations, I have made a new, flexible version of the visual schedule for the Orthodox Liturgy. To use this schedule, print out the blank, numbered pages where you will attach the squares you need. You will find that the schedule works best when printed on cardstock or on paper that is laminated. If you choose to laminate, you will need…
Categories: autism, christian, concrete thinking, encouragement, faith, family, free giveaway, Orthodox Faith, special needs child, spiritual formation, Uncategorized
Tagged: AAC, accessible, adhd, american orthodoxy, ancient Christianity, antiochian orthodox, asd, attention in liturgy, autism, concrete thinking, focus, free printable, Greek Orthodox, intervention, learning disability, Make your church accessible, oca, occupational therapy, orthodox church, rocor, self regulation, trouble with transitions, visual schedule
