When I was young it was all about me. And then one day I got married. And it became about me and my husband. It stayed like that for far longer than it ever should have been, but then we became parents. And life no longer became about us but about two little children. For five years life has now been all about them. Even more so than many other parents as both my children have additional needs. They both have autism. One also has seizures, global developmental delay, neurofibromatosis type 1 and is vision impaired. No-one would judge us for it being all about them. Hospital appointments, school and nursery events to attend, therapists to liaise with, courses to attend, medications to be administered, nappies to be changed and so on. It could so easily be us four and no more.
But life is bigger than that.
So I open my life up to others. I am on social media outlets, I attend groups and courses and meet other families going through some of the same things we are. I take the children to clubs for other children with autism. I blog.
Why?
Because I care about others. I can learn so much from the road that others have walked before me. As a family we have negotiated some tricky terrain that has only been possible through the help and advice that others have given. Together we are stronger. Our breakthroughs become others breakthroughs and give others hope. Hearing other families achieve in areas we are still struggling with gives me hope that all things are possible. Even if I can not directly identify with thier issue or offer advice I can cheer them on, celebrate with them, encourage them. We can pray for each other, stand beside each other, link arms.
Because it isn’t about me.
Or my children really.
I could easily close my social medai accounts, stay at home with my children, not answer the telephone, stop blogging. But I would suffer. And I believe others would too. Not because I think I am someone special. But because there is something powerful and stronger about supporting others, praying for other people, looking out for someone other than yourself.
I am a people person. I comment on social media because I care. I listen to your struggles because I care. I blog because I care that someone might no longer feel alone after reading my blog. That someone may be helped by a strategy or therapy that helped one of my children. That some other family might identify with what we are going through and be encouraged.
It’s not about me.
So I am happy for the National Autistic Society to use us on their website (http://www.autism.org.uk/) The boy with the bubbles is Isaac.
And I am happy for our story to be used in their Christmas marketing:
It’s not about me.
It’s about how many other families that will be able to access the help we did as a result of campaigns like this.
It’s about someone else knowing they are not alone in this journey.
It’s about encouraging others that progress can and will come in time.
Sharing your story is not about you. It’s about humility and vulnerability. It’s about giving of yourself, even when emotions are raw, knowing you are not alone. It’s about real life and daily struggles. It’s the public recording of a journey. A journey that others can adopt as thier own, identify with, run with, be encouraged by. It’s about awareness.
It’s about helping just one person.
The sleepless nights, the endless screaming, the loss of the one word he took over 4 years to say, the yearning to see my babies walk, the pain of seeing my son have seizures, the broken heartedness of getting diagnosis after diagnosis, the fighting for thier educational needs, the public comments that crush my Spirit, the constant appointments.
It’s all worth it.
Because these two are worth it:
You are worth it.
Your children are worth it.
If one person is encouraged by this blog it is worth it.
We don’t all have to live our lives in public to help someone else. We don’t even have to be on social media. But someone somewhere can benefit from the journey you have walked. Someone can benefit from your friendship, your encouragement, your prayers. Someone can feel less alone just by knowing you care. Someone’s life can be changed by you.
It’s not about me.
It’s not really about autism.
It’s about parenting.
It’s about others helping me and me helping others and being there for each other.
It’s about awareness.
It’s about not feeling alone or isolated anymore.
It’s about rejoicing with others as they rejoice with me.
It’s about walking beside each other hand in hand.
It started with two little children but now it’s about hundreds of others.
It’s about so many other things. But it’s definitely not about ME!
“not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others” Phil 2:14
“rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn” Rom 12:15
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘today’…Heb 3:13
faithmummy 
Well said. I do not need to say more. I have no doubt you are helping others. I have no children with autism, but reading your blog teaches me more all the time. It also reminds me that regardless of our difficulties and differing lives we share a bond. We are both parents of children.
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Yes it is. Simple as that sounds.
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I meant it’s not about me! Simple as it sounds.
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If you have a gift for painting then the work of art should be displayed where anyone can appreciate it. In your case Miriam your writing is a work of art and the same applies.
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