NORMAL FOR ME tells the story about the author hitting rock bottom when she received the diagnosis that her second oldest son was on the autism spectrum. One evening she fell to her knees asking God, “Why can't we be a `normal' family?” God whispered, “This IS normal for you.” This epiphany began her journey from anguish and grief to acceptance, peace, hope, and joy. This book is ideal for not only families struggling with autism but anyone who has had to face a life detour or help someone along the way.
Dear Friend, Thank you for taking this journey with me. There were times my editor asked me to share more details. I told my husband, "I honestly don't remember." Have you ever had that happen? That is called repression. My brain literally repressed and buried the memories. I was in survival mode at the time, and years later I could not recall how I made it through--only that I did.
So, I pulled up what little journaling I had done and read about those years. What I read made me remember and weep. There was a reason I had forgotten. It was hell remembering the battle scenes of my life. I didn't want to remember. But I did. I remembered and wrote in the hope that some person out there battling through life will know they're not alone. They will know someone else waged a similar war and survived. I wrote my heart into these pages with one thought, that it would give someone hope--hope that they too can lean on God on dark times and He can help them get through. And then someday, like I did, hopefully they too will wonder, "How did I survive that soul-wrenching experience?" And like me, they won't remember the details, but they will remember that it was awful and hard.
So, let's get to the story I've tried so hard to forget, because it is a story worth telling after all. I wish I could paint myself as a hero, but I am going to write what really happened. So, forgive me for being imperfect. I was and am a work in progress.
