Lonely Girl, Gracious God, A Mother's Story of Autism's Devastation and God's Promise of Enduring Love

by Lauri Khodabandehloo

Overview

From the moment of her birth, Farema was not like her sisters. She didn't respond normally to sounds or the touch of a hand. She was different. Embrace this mother's deeply personal account of tragedies and triumphs, along with joys and sorrows of raising a child with the devastating disability of autism.

When lives have been turned upside down and we have nothing left to cling to, God offers amazing grace to find encouragement and authentic hope
in the face of overwhelming confusion and grief.

Chicken Soup for the Soul contributor Lauri Khodabandehloo takes us on a journey down the broken road that leads us to the truth of God's overwhelming faithfulness, and His promise to never leave us as she shares the special bond between those who are challenged with a developmental disability and the people who love them.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940013110649
Publisher:	Deep River Books
Publication date:	03/15/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	498 KB

About the Author

Chicken Soup for the Soul contributor Lauri Khodabandehloo grew up in a loving home. Through her teen years, life at times was difficult as her dad pursued his career as a salesman (which meant a lot of time gone on the road). Patience began to run thin, and Laurie grew up to realize that the lack of patience would follow her through life if she didn’t make a change. She often prayed to God that she would grow to be a patient and nurturing mother.


After raising three children on her own, Lauri found that God heard her prayers, and He answered them in His timing and in His way with the birth of Lauri’s fourth child Farema.


It didn’t take long to learn that Farema was not like the other girls. And, later, in finding her daughter was autistic, Lauri found she had no other choice but to be patient. Without her newfound patience given to her by God, Lauri would not have been able to win the battle. You see, you can not win a battle with a child with autism-they cannot deviate-they do not know anything different.

Before Farema, Lauri didn’t really understand that there were disabled people. But today, Lauri lives a life full of compassion for other people. Today, she ‘sees’ people she never saw before...she sees the hurting people on the streets, or the drug addict, she sees those who need help. She now is keenly aware of people with disabilities, autism, and the developmentally challenged, and she has a deep desire to help those that are just learning for themselves that their child has a disability.


In Lonely Girl Gracious God, Lauri tells how she came to fully trust God in ALL things, and how her life was changed because of God’s gift of patience given to her, wrapped as a beautiful daughter named Farema.

Editorial Reviews

As Lauri’s story amply demonstrates, God provides grace and strength in the face of hardship and confusion. At times, her factual account of the tragedies and triumphs, joys and sorrows she and her family encountered while raising a daughter with autism will leave you teary eyed. This book will strengthen your faith as it illustrates the myriad ways in which God uses adversity to draw us closer.

Lonely Girl, Gracious God is an inspiring book that deserves your consideration rega

EG Lewis

Lonely Girl, Gracious God is a powerful, inspirational memoir. (It) is, above all, a testimonial about the power of a family's faith...and their resilience in facing each difficult transition in their daughter's journey to adulthood. It is a gift to all of us.

Co-Author, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children With Special Needs, The Official Autism 101 Manual, and Autism Tomorrow, Founder and CEO of Autism Today

Karen Simmons