Background

My father served in the South Pacific during World War II. Many servicemen returned home and didn’t talk about their experiences. It was painful. There was no psychological support in those days. They were told to go home and put it behind them, and that’s what many of them tried to do. Dad never talked much about the war. There was an occasional snippet, but mostly just stories of the personalities of the men he served with and got to know. We didn’t really know where he had served, or anything about his experiences other than that he was at the Battle of Buffalo Wallow.

Long after three of us had left home, my younger sister was tasked with writing about a battle for her high school ROTC class. She asked Dad about the Battle of Buffalo Wallow. Dad was ill, and I think he knew he wouldn’t be around much longer. He opened up to her about his experiences. He pulled out pictures from a secret compartment in his closet that our mother didn’t even know he had. Unfortunately, that was the only time Dad ever talked, and we never got the whole story. We had no idea of the significance of what he had done.

Writing the Story

Years later, my sister wrote about what Dad had told her for our family history. I thought the story needed to be told publicly, so I asked her permission to publish it on my little blog. A man by the name of James R. Odrowski read the story and commented on it. His father had served with our father.

Mr. Odrowski spent years researching The Battle of Buffalo Wallow, which resulted in a book. Early in November 2020, just in time for Veteran’s Day, he sent us copies of the book. He also shared a link to actual news footage of the Japanese paratroopers involved in the battle, and he had a two-hour meeting with us via the miracle of technology to share pictures and information.

Life-Changing Information From the Story

What we learned was overwhelming! The Battle of Buffalo Wallow was also called the Battle of the Air Fields—and it was part of the Battle of Leyte. We had no idea what Dad had gone through. Dad and Mr. Odrowski’s father were with the 44th General Hospital. They were supposed to be several miles from the front line, but ended up right in the thick of the fighting. Medical units were not trained for combat, nor were they issued weapons. They were to “do no harm” and were supposed to be protected from attack under the Geneva Convention. Japan never signed the Geneva Convention documents, and attacked clearly marked hospital ships and other medical units.

The 44th General Hospital had a moral dilemma. They could procure weapons to protect themselves and their patients, or adhere to the Geneva Convention with the high likelihood that they would all die. They requested weapons but were denied. By some miracle, the supply staff managed to acquire three ambulances full of guns. It is unknown where they got them, or the circumstances surrounding that event. To make a very long story short, the 44th General Hospital was still standing when the fighting was over, and not one of them lost their lives.

Having Dad’s story not only helps me to understand him better, but it is something my grandchildren will be able to read about on their hard days to gain hope, insight, and courage to keep going.

In December, I will turn 66 years old. My Dad passed away in 1985. Yet, I am just now learning all this. We are fortunate that Mr. Odrowski’s father did talk about the war, and that his son listened and was willing to do years of research so that this story could be told. Untold thousands of stories have been lost.

My Own Story

We’ve been told that Heavenly Father wants us to be a record-keeping people. Admittedly, my own journals have been sporadic in my lifetime. However, I have written about my life on personal blogs, as well as multiple forums such as LDS Blogs. In spite of the fact that I’m a very private person, my life is pretty much an open book at this point. I hope my grandchildren will be able to read about their grandparents and glean something that can help them get through the tough days in their lives.

A Directive From a Prophet of God

“A word about personal journals and records: We urge every person in the Church to keep a diary or a journal from youth up, all through his life.

 

Would every family, as they now hold their home evenings, train their children from young childhood to keep a journal of the important activities of their lives, and certainly when they begin to leave home for schooling and missions?” (President Spencer W. Kimball, “The Foundations of Righteousness,” Oct. 1977 General Conference.)

That’s a directive from a prophet of God. You can’t get much clearer than that.

An Explanation Behind the Directive

“Not one of my children has any recollection of my grandparents. If I want my children and grandchildren to know those who still live in my memory, then I must build the bridge between them. I alone am the link to the generations that stand on either side of me. It is my responsibility to knit their hearts together through love and respect, even though they may never have known each other personally. My grandchildren will have no knowledge of their family’s history if I do nothing to preserve it for them. That which I do not in some way record will be lost at my death, and that which I do not pass on to my posterity, they will never have. The work of gathering and sharing eternal family keepsakes is a personal responsibility. It cannot be passed off or given to another.

 

A life that is not documented is a life that within a generation or two will largely be lost to memory. What a tragedy this can be in the history of a family. Knowledge of our ancestors shapes us and instills within us values that give direction and meaning to our lives” (Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Of the First Quorum of the Seventy, “Bridges and Eternal Keepsakes,” Apr. 1999 General Conference).

My father’s untold story is a perfect example of lost history. We have been extremely blessed by James Odrowski and his father. We now have a piece of the puzzle. We have the hope that we too can get through life’s challenges.

Suggested Method to Begin Writing Your Story

To read more of Tudie’s articles, click here.

“Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him” (President Henry B. Eyring, “O Remember, Remember,” Oct. 2007 General Conference).

Whatever method you use to get started, please write your story! Your children and grandchildren will someday want to know how you ever survived a global pandemic. They will want to know how you survived other challenges in your life. They will learn from your life. They will learn how to get up and keep moving when life knocks them down. If you don’t write your story, it is an opportunity lost forever.

Tudie Rose

Tudie Rose is a mother of four and grandmother of ten in Sacramento, California. You can find her on Twitter as @TudieRose. She blogs as Tudie Rose at http://potrackrose.wordpress.com. She has written articles for Familius. You will find a Tudie Rose essay in Lessons from My Parents, Michele Robbins, Familius 2013, at http://www.familius.com/lessons-from-my-parents.

In recent years, it seems like Church leaders have discussed this topic a lot. How the priesthood applies to women has been spoken about in General Conference, Face to Face discussions, Church magazines, books, podcasts, and more. Maybe it’s seemed like a hot topic because my personal interest in how the priesthood applies to women has been piqued in recent years. Maybe our Church, like other societies, is realizing the suppressing effect patriarchy has had on women, and it’s doing its part to correct false ideas, teachings, and traditions. Maybe the Spirit has been guiding Church leaders to emphasize this topic more (that one’s a yes, not just a maybe!). Maybe it’s all the above and some more.

I am grateful the priesthood is now being taught in a way that includes women, beyond the old “Well, men can’t give themselves a priesthood blessing; therefore, the priesthood applies to women, too.” While that is true, it barely scratches the surface of the priesthood power and privilege of women. I think that is why the priesthood is being taught better—to empower women with truth so they can fulfill their potential. Women are teaching and being taught what our privilege and full divine potential is, and how to live up to it now.

The last few years, President Nelson has been pleading with the women of the Church to live up to their priesthood privilege:

“As a righteous, endowed Latter-day Saint woman, you speak and teach with power and authority from God. Whether by exhortation or conversation, we need your voice teaching the doctrine of Christ. We need your input in family, ward, and stake councils. Your participation is essential and never ornamental!”

This article is a piece of what I have learned from studying about the priesthood. I will not describe everything about the priesthood and women. I simply do not know it all, and it would be a book instead of an article. I will discuss a few truths I learned that have helped me understand my priesthood potential. I hope it will help other women too. 

As I’ve studied the scriptures, speeches from General Authorities and Officers, and the temple ceremonies and ordinances, I have noticed that the priesthood works differently in a family versus in the Church.

Familial and Hierarchical Priesthood Structures

A woman lives up to her priesthood privilege in the family, temple, and Church

We are most familiar discussing how priesthood power, authority, keys, and offices function in the Church. For example, a bishop is the presiding priesthood leader in a ward and holds some priesthood keys, and ward members work with priesthood authority in the ward by virtue of their calling or priesthood office. The Church is structured in a hierarchical way, with Jesus Christ as the head, then the First Presidency and Apostles, all the way down to you and me.

However, the priesthood is administered differently in the family and the temple. There is no single “head” of a family. A wife and husband are equal leaders in their family, and they have equal priesthood authority. In the temple, women and men officiate in priesthood ordinances. The familial (also called the “patriarchal”) order of the priesthood functions in the family and the temple.

President Dallin H. Oaks taught: 

“A most important difference in the functioning of priesthood authority in the family and in the Church results from the fact that the government of the family is patriarchal, whereas the government of the Church is hierarchical.”

Before Christ’s mortal ministry when He established His Church, the priesthood was administered primarily through the familial structure.

Why does this information matter? It means that we cannot always look to the structure of the Church to know how the priesthood functions in a family and the temple. It means that a wife is equal with her husband in their marriage and family decisions—not “the man is the head and the woman is the neck.”

My parents are divorced, and yet I have never felt a lack of priesthood power and authority in my mom’s home. I never understood why this was until I learned about the familial structure of the priesthood. Even though my mom is not ordained to a priesthood office, she has priesthood power and authority because she is a mother who keeps her covenants.

President Nelson taught:

“When you are set apart to serve in a calling under the direction of one who holds priesthood keys—such as your bishop or stake president—you are given priesthood authority to function in that calling.”

President Nelson is describing how the hierarchical priesthood structure applies to women. He goes on to describe how the familial priesthood structure empowers women:

“Similarly, in the holy temple you are authorized to perform and officiate in priesthood ordinances every time you attend. Your temple endowment prepares you to do so.”

Priesthood Power, Keys, Office, and Authority

A woman lives up to her priesthood privilege by acting with priesthood power and authority

In their book, The Melchizedek Priesthood: Understanding the Doctrine, Living the Principles, Elder and Sister Renlund compared the word priesthood to how we use the word “earth.” Earth can refer to the planet or a pile of dirt. Similarly, the priesthood includes the power of God, and the specific functions of priesthood power, authority, keys, and offices.

For example, a man can be ordained to the priesthood office of elder and be given authority to perform some priesthood ordinances. However, when this man is in the temple, he does not automatically have priesthood authority to officiate in the initiatory ordinance.

Similarly, an endowed woman who is a temple worker has authority to officiate in some temple ordinances. She is not ordained to a priesthood office the same way a man is (deacon, teacher, priest, and so on). Her authority to officiate in those ordinances is only in the temple. This is also because of the familial and hierarchical ways the priesthood is administered. 

Anyone can feel the power of God (the priesthood) working in his or her life. In her book The Priesthood Power of Women, Sister Barbara Morgan Gardner says that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon through the power of God (the priesthood) even before he was ordained to a priesthood office. Covenant-keeping members have been blessed with priesthood power as they remain worthy. (Handbook 3.5)

When I was in college, I lived with faithful female friends. I never felt a lack of priesthood power in our apartment. I did not fully understand why until I understood the distinctions between priesthood power, authority, and office. We each had priesthood power because we kept our covenants.

Those with priesthood keys of presidency unlock the authority of the priesthood for those they are stewards over. Relatively few people hold priesthood keys of presidency. (Handbook 3.4.1.1)

People have priesthood authority in the hierarchical structure because of their priesthood office, or a church calling they have been set-apart in. “Priesthood authority is the authorization to represent God and act in His name. In the Church, all priesthood authority is exercised under the direction of those who hold priesthood keys,” according to the Church’s Handbook 3.4.

A woman can feel priesthood power, and this is enhanced as she makes and keeps covenants. A woman who has been set apart in her calling has priesthood authority. She also has priesthood authority in her home, including within her marriage and family. She has priesthood authority by virtue of her worship in the temple. 

While serving in various Church callings, especially as a missionary and as a teacher, I have felt priesthood authority in fulfilling those callings. 

Presiding in the Family

A woman lives up to her priesthood privilege in the family by being an equal partner with her husband — a single woman always presides in her home

“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” states, “Fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness.” Unfortunately, some have misinterpreted “preside” in an unequal way.

Knowing the priesthood works differently in the family and in the Church is crucial to understanding more about fathers presiding in a family. In the hierarchical structure of the priesthood within the Church, the person who presides is the ultimate authority in that setting. However, this is not how a husband or father presides in the family.

When I was younger, my family was on vacation with my grandparents. My grandma got everyone’s attention because she wanted to have a family spiritual devotional. As she began to lead the discussion, she stopped and apologized to my grandpa, her husband, and said that he should lead the discussion because he presides.

I remember feeling bothered by my grandparents’ exchange, because I felt it was completely appropriate for my grandma to lead a spiritual discussion.

Referring back to Sister Gardner’s book (it is an incredible book you all should read!), she says that she points out to her students what the Brethren do not teach about presiding:

“President Nelson, for example, does not mention making the final decision, bossing, or even being in charge, but rather talks of love, service, help, and ensuring sacred family time. It is clear that presiding requires being like and treating others as Christ would” (104).

The Church Handbook supports that presiding is Christlike:

“Presiding in the family is the responsibility to help lead family members back to dwell in God’s presence. This is done by serving and teaching with gentleness, meekness, and pure love, following the example of Jesus Christ” (Handbook 2.1.3).

President M. Russell Ballard said about fathers presiding in their family:

“Fathers perform priesthood ordinances and give priesthood blessings, including father’s blessings to their children.”

Women, including wives and mothers, preside in their home too. It is inappropriate for a priesthood-ordained son to choose someone to pray instead of his mother. It is demeaning for priesthood-holding brethren to direct a meeting within the home of the single sister they are visiting (such as a ministering).

Women are crucial in teaching the gospel to their family. (I will discuss this more in a future post.)

Sister Julie B. Beck, former Relief Society General President, said:

“The priesthood role of fathers is to preside and pass priesthood ordinances to the next generation. The priesthood role of mothers is to influence. These are essential, complementary, and interdependent responsibilities” (Gardner, 108).

I am grateful for the women and men in my life who have been excellent examples of working together in unity to help God’s children on the gospel path. I have seen family members, friends, and church leaders do this well. I am confident the youth today have a better understanding of the priesthood than I did as a kid. Overall, I believe and hope most men in the Church are presiding righteously. However, learning more about what presiding in the family means was important to me as I studied more about the priesthood. 

When I learned more about the familial structure of the priesthood in the family and the temple, it showed me that God really has empowered men and women to work together as equals. I am blessed to be married to the most Christlike person I have ever met, and he and I have always felt equal and complementary. I am grateful to now have the information and language to be able to teach our child and others about what presiding and priesthood authority means in the family.

Increasing Priesthood Power

I am truly grateful for the renewed emphasis on teaching truth about women and the priesthood. I have learned so much, and there is still so much to learn! Learning correct doctrine is crucial because, as President Nelson said, “[G]ood inspiration is based upon good information.” How can God teach you how to live up to your divine potential if you don’t know what it is?

To read more of Kristine’s articles, click here.

While studying the priesthood, I have felt frustrated because a lot of what I learned was personal revelation. (Over time, the truths I received personally were confirmed by Church leaders, which has been exciting.) Receiving personal revelation is a lot of work. While rewarding and invigorating, it would be nice to have everything about the priesthood spelled out easily. Llearning how to increase the power of the priesthood in your life is done primarily through personal revelation.

When inviting women to draw the Savior’s priesthood power more fully into their lives, President Nelson said, “The Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to understand what the Lord would have you know and do.”

He also taught that service, sincere prayers, fasting, scripture study, temple worship, family history work, and increased personal purity will increase priesthood power.

“Sisters, you have the right to draw liberally upon the Savior’s power to help your family and others you love.”

How encouraging is that? Our prophet is reminding us women that we can pull down the powers of heaven. It is our right and privilege. What a blessing and comfort! The trials you and I have faced on a personal and societal level have been difficult. I’m sure that you, like me, have seen others you love suffer. I’m sure you want to protect those you love from pain and sorrow as much as you can. Our society and personal trials are not over. It is empowering to know that we as women can work with the men in our lives to invoke priesthood power into our lives. Imagine the spiritual protection and resilience of a family whose mother and father know their priesthood privilege and use it to bless and protect their marriage and children! God wants to bless us, and He wants us all to have His help. Living up to priesthood privilege is all about inviting God’s infinite power into our lives.

Kristine Hoyt

That statement draws a lot of attention. Some parents are afraid of their teenagers, while others enjoy the time their children are in their teens. It takes courageous parents to guide their teenage children through the pitfalls and bumps in their early life. Teenagers are hanging on the eve of adulthood and it’s their last-ditch effort to fulfill what they consider being “themselves.” Many have passions about what they do and it shows in their actions. Others pass through quietly and contribute thoughtfully. One thing is for sure: there is a lot more activity with a house full of teenage children than with a house full of two-year-olds. Reflection and words of wisdom can help parents understand their teenage children so life runs smoother and safer, especially those families with Christian ethics. Here are a few ideas!

Parents Can Lay the Foundation

Children between the ages of 13 and 19 keep homes very invigorated (and keep their parents young!) since during adolescence, great changes take place in body and mind. Parents should pay particular attention to what their teens do instead of turning a deaf ear to their activity. Granted, a two-year old will try to please his parents, and for the most part, they go along with clothing choices, foods to eat, and bedtime rules. But a teen causes parents to think through religious beliefs, moral judgments, and why we should eat nutritious food for lunch instead of potato chips and soda pop.

Teens who are grounded in righteous endeavors typically will be more successful in this difficult world. Words of wisdom could never be truer from the late Elder David B. Haight, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, in a talk he gave in 1979. He said:

“Though the world is becoming more wicked, the youth of Christ’s church can become more righteous if they understand who they are, understand the blessings available, and understand the promises God has made to those who are righteous, who believe, who endure. All of our youth are entitled to and need this knowledge to combat the forces of deception that would lead them captive into darkness.”

Teens might think their parents are too strict with high morals, but adolescent children know where they stand and that their parents care enough to enforce sensible values.

Teens Need Attention, Too

Some might consider teenagers very immature, but there is a fine line between immaturity and just being fun. A common characteristic of teenagers is the fact that many times, the whole world revolves around them and any negative situations they experience will go down in the history books as the worst occurrence of their lives (even if they were the cause of it). Yes, they are the “drama queens and kings” of life, but their perspective is an interesting one. Granted, some of our teens have had to endure some pretty awful experiences that did go down in the history books as the worst ever — for example, the Columbine High School shootings — but for the most part, teens overreact in their quest for adulthood.

Parents need compassion and fairness in dealing with the lives of their teens as well as attention to the details of their lives. They are not done with parenting a child after 13. This is where the courage to be a good parent comes in handy, as we are entrusted to train our children to put their best foot forward. From another Latter-day Saint Church leader, President David O. McKay, “What must the Lord think, then, of parents who, through their own negligence or willful desire to indulge their selfishness, fail properly to rear their children, and thereby prove untrue to the greatest trust that has been given to human beings?” The teenage years can be some of the most difficult for a child and parents can be a great source of strength during those demanding times.

Don’t Let Age Fool You

To read more of Valerie’s articles, click here.

Even though adolescents are old enough to take care of their physical needs, they are not always old enough to take care of their emotional needs. Ideally, parents should be home when their teens are home. Be there before school and after if possible. (Many parents, of course, need to work to provide for their children; if it is not possible to be home with them as often as you’d like, make sure to carve out special time to be with each child individually.) That gray area of life between childhood and adulthood takes a good listening ear and the foresight of a prophet.

Recent studies have shown that depression and suicidality is increasing in adolescents. During the teenage years, there are such feelings of inadequacy and awkwardness that sometimes it’s hard to know how to handle life. Additionally, there are often many external difficulties like parents divorcing, separation of family, or a death of a loved one. It’s no wonder teens have a hard time coping! From another Church leader, President Ezra Taft Benson, we learn, “The family is the most effective place to instill lasting values in its members. Where family life is strong and based on principles and practices of the gospel of Jesus Christ, these problems do not as readily appear.”

Teens in their own right could be a great influence for doing good or a bad influence for getting into a lot of trouble. With the help of parents, Church leaders, teachers, and friends, the life of a teen can be a positive experience for everyone involved. As everyone should know, teenagers are fun.

This article was originally posted on MormonFamily.net in 2011. Changes have been made for consistency and clarity. 

Valerie Steimle

Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie’s work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.

For me, this wasn’t just a friendly conversation in a friendly restaurant. This was the icing on the cake of a wonderful day admiring God’s creations. I left the restaurant with a very happy heart.

Later in the evening, I began to think about this family again. I replayed the conversation in my head. There is so much more I wish I’d said! The things I wish I’d said keep nagging at my heart.

This sweet little girl was sitting on her daddy’s lap. You could see the joy in her eyes, and the love she had for her father. There were two older, well-mannered boys. The mother was just as friendly and attentive as her husband. This is a family who loves each other. This is a family who is out to make sweet memories together.

I thought about sweet memories I had with my own parents. As I reminisced in my head, I thought about a vacation we took to San Francisco when I was four years old, just slightly younger than the little girl at the restaurant. While walking down Fisherman’s wharf, my dad stopped at a flower vender’s stand to buy me one red carnation, which he pinned to my coat. It was a sweet gesture, and a moment that I cherish 61 years later.

Again, the things I wished I’d said nag at my heart. I wish I had told the family at the restaurant about that. I could have praised these sweet parents for making cherished memories with their children. I might have reminded them that many years after they are gone, these three children aren’t going to think about the electronics that were or were not purchased for them. They aren’t going to think about whether or not they lived in a fancy house, or the make and model of the family car. What will matter to them is the memories made together. This little girl is going to remember fishing with her daddy in Yellowstone National Park for the rest of her life. The older boys are going to remember hiking with their parents on the trails. The children are going to remember sitting on a bench with their parents waiting for Old Faithful to spew its glory.

The little conversation we had was wonderful—but I wish it had been just a little longer. Parenting is an extremely difficult job, and every parent needs encouragement. Why, oh why, didn’t I think to give these parents the praise and encouragement they so deserved?! Oh, the things I wish I’d said!

I’ve been thinking about other memories I have of my parents. I was very ill when I was a child, and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. On one particular occasion, I slept on the couch for several days. Dad was working out of town, and Mom didn’t want to leave my side, so she slept in a chair next to me. After many days, I woke up and asked for a bath and a bologna sandwich. I never will forget the excitement in her voice as she made several telephone calls telling people that I was okay. As a parent and grandparent, I appreciate the significance of that now, but at the time, I wondered why she wasn’t fixing that sandwich and drawing a bath!

To read more of Tudie’s articles, click here.

I remember one hunting trip with my dad. After hiking a while, he told me to lay on my back under a tree, which I did. Then he told me to look up, and I did so. Dad got down under the tree, as well, and looked up. After a long silence looking up through the leaves gently blowing in the wind, Dad told me that no matter what challenges life would bring my way, never forget to look up. He also told me never to forget the way I was feeling at that moment—which was an indescribable sense of peace and contentment.

Parents, remember the words below:

“The most important of the Lord’s work that you will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home.” (President Harold B. Lee, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee (2000), 134.)

Maybe the sweet family we met in the Idaho Burger Grill will someday read this article, but I know the chances are probably slim to none. I hope someday someone else will give them the encouragement that I should have given. I hope they will say the things I wish I’d said.

Tudie Rose

Tudie Rose is a mother of four and grandmother of ten in Sacramento, California. You can find her on Twitter as @TudieRose. She blogs as Tudie Rose at http://potrackrose.wordpress.com. She has written articles for Familius. You will find a Tudie Rose essay in Lessons from My Parents, Michele Robbins, Familius 2013, at http://www.familius.com/lessons-from-my-parents.

My friends have asked me what it’s like being my son’s mom. I am here to tell you that it’s a LOT of mental effort! If it’s not trying to keep up with his intense interests, it’s a lot of mind work to keep him safe and to keep up with him during his logic battles. Being a special needs mom, or an autism mom, is challenging. When your kid is high functioning, they really keep you on your toes. And today, this mom’s brain is tired!

He’s Amazing

Don’t get me wrong, I am so proud of my son. He is smart and dedicated to his interests, and he can do amazing things. For years now, he has been taking things apart and fixing them up. This last week, a teenager in our neighborhood brought his broken Xbox 360 over for my son to fix. We have kids over nearly every week to fix their consoles, and my son loves being asked to help.

It’s something I am so used to that I forget it’s unusual for an 11-year-old to have such a skill. When this boy came over, his father complained that his son was grounded and not allowed to play with friends. I laughed. His dad doesn’t know how young my son is. It made my mommy heart proud that a dad assumed that an 11-year-old wasn’t going to be fixing an Xbox.

Jr Repair Man VS My Tired Brain

My son has been mechanically inclined for a long time. We used to buy broken robot vacuums from the thrift store and he would fix them up and gift them to people.

My in-laws don’t understand autism and worried that my son was going to be deeply disabled when he was first diagnosed.

It wasn’t until he presented them with a Roomba he had fixed up that they really understood that autism has wonderful parts, too. This was last year when my son was 10, and I loved seeing my father-in-law swell with pride.

I am grateful for the good parts of being an autism mom. Here are some of the stressful parts.

Experiments Don’t End

When my son is learning how things work, he can get dangerous. When he was 7, he wanted to explore electricity.

He wouldn’t listen when I told him about the dangers of electricity, and one day I discovered he had pulled an outlet out of the wall to inspect it. That scared me so badly! I have written more about that time here.

Lately my son has been collecting vintage smoke alarms. He found some YouTube channels about them and just loves the different sounds they make. He will test them for hours (while wearing ear protection) and thinks they are the greatest thing. This week, though, he wanted to take his exploration to a new and dangerous level.

He had purchased an alarm that was hardwired and would only sound if attached to the home electricity. He is too young for me to allow him to expose bare wires and hook up these different alarms — so he got creative.

Suicide Cord

He begged me to let him take an extension cord and cut it to expose the wires. Then he wanted to splice in the mounting wiring that a smoke detector would use.

His intention was to plug this into the wall to let him test the hardwired alarms whenever he wanted to. In case you don’t know, this is VERY DANGEROUS.

His determined little mind was so sure this would work that I spent over an hour trying to explain how dangerous it was. My brother is an electrician and I finally had to reach out to him for backup.

It wasn’t until my brother explained that it was so dangerous that it was not legal for an electrician to create such a device, but that they called it a “suicide cord,” that my son would accept no for an answer.

My Brain is Tired

That was yesterday. Today my son came to me and wanted to take the radioactive americium 241 out of the smoke alarms to create a homemade cloud chamber. He doesn’t understand how radiation poisoning works, so that had to be explained.

Then he wanted to create wearable shielding while doing this experiment, and it truly took all my mental energy to stay a step ahead of him while looking out for dangers to get him to drop that plan.

Now before you condemn me for complaining, I do know my son is a bit of a genius. I do love that he loves to learn. And I know that he will do great things one day. But keeping him alive in the meantime is mentally exhausting, and today I am tired.

But I am so grateful for my worried mother mind that helps me see every possible danger for my young son. Because he doesn’t see them for himself. And he must have everything logically explained before he will seek a different route to his goal. His determination makes the word “No” seem like a launching pad for negotiation.

Gratitude

To read more of Abby’s articles, click here.

SO next time your friend who has a special needs child tells you she is tired, I hope you will understand better why that may be. Every kid is different, but every child will keep you on your toes. And sometimes you just feel tired.

Oh, and if you have home appliances and know your friend’s child loves to take things apart, please don’t bring over the old microwave.

That thing has a huge capacitor in it that can’t be discharged and will electrocute anyone who tries to take it apart. We learned that one just in time. Man, I have never been so grateful for YouTube tutorials. They fill in a lot of the gaps my tired brain can miss.

Abby Christianson

Abby is capable and caring. She is learning more about Autism and parenthood every day. Having completed training to be an RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) for ABA therapy she is beginning to understand her son. And even though she is the first to admit she makes a lot of mistakes, she is so grateful to be on this journey. She comes from a family with many autistic members. She invites us to join her, as she shares her adventures. She wishes to emphasize that Autism is a difference not a defect. If you or a family member have autism, Abby wants you to know that the challenges can be overcome, and there are blessings in autism. You or your loved one are not sick or broken. Together we will teach the world this new language.

I saw the stone’s message again recently. But instead of being carved into hardened stone, I saw it carved on two beautiful and honorable hearts.

An Isolating Vacation

My parents braved COVID-19 concerns and came to visit me in Hawaii. While many states removed restrictions for their citizens, Hawaii extended its stay at home order through May 31st, just as my parent planned to come visit in early May. What that order meant for people flying to Hawaii is two weeks of isolation. The law prohibited them from leaving their designated destination. Not only could they not leave the premises, but that meant we couldn’t leave the premises either.

That meant no sunsets, or hikes, or drives, or grocery shopping. (Grocery shopping is actually my dad’s favorite adventure.) It meant no delivering baked goods to nearby friends. It meant no bike rides. It meant no watching Stig skateboard at the park. It meant two weeks of not exercising Stig outside at all. (Eek!)

It meant existing for 14 days in our two bed/two bath condo 24/7.

The day they landed, Governor Ige loosened some restrictions on businesses and after six weeks, Anthony could get into his stores. And he needed to get into his stores. So to avoid being in isolation, he stayed at the home of some dear friends who were caught on the mainland during the pandemic and haven’t come back yet.

When mom and dad arrived, they signed legal documents at the airport stating they knew the law and intended to comply. And thus began our two weeks of quarantined isolation. The state called several times verifying our compliance verbally.

Now staying at home and watching old shows and westerns wasn’t a bad vacation proposition for my dad. Every morning, he sat on the patio during the beautiful mornings eating breakfast and watching the nature around him.

My mom is an energizer bunny and loves adventure-filled vacations. She loves to be out and exploring and doing. In fact, she signed up for a workshop and was getting up at 3:00 AM to participate in that!

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

But we all agreed that it was awesome to hang out together. We ran Stig with a laser through our house. He absolutely loves that. I worked periodically.

Mom made her mother’s day gift from me. It was a craft idea I had using canvas, leaves from my yard, and sea glass. Mom and I did puzzles.

We watched lectures and workshops together. They encouraged my little garden to grow. Dad still made his yummy bread concoctions and instead of delivering it, I just ate most of it. Mom made lemon brownies. I ate most of that, too.

We celebrated Mother’s Day indoors. We determined Anthony could come to visit and sit outside the window on the lanai if none of us were outside and we just talked (shouted) through the windows. Anthony left us when the cool morning heated up and the full sun flooded the space.

Nearly every day, I questioned their happiness in spending their whole time being cooped up. It just wasn’t what I had ever done before and it felt so weird to not even see one sunset with them.

Finally, the intellectual realization finally settled into my heart. They knew the rules. They accepted a situation where they would be subject to those rules. And it didn’t matter to them if not one other visitor to Hawaii stayed isolated, they had signed their name to an agreement aimed to protect the citizens here and they determined to comply.

Word of Honor

They reminded me of Karl G. Maeser’s definition of ‘word of honor.’

I have been asked what I mean by ‘word of honor.’ I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls–walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground–there is a possibility that in some way or another I may escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of the circle? No. Never! I’d die first!

Mom and dad’s word of honor shone bright and clear. No need to think about “escaping” the condo. They were perfectly satisfied that for their time in Hawaii, they would enjoy the scenery from inside our fence line.

President Russell M. Nelson spoke of how the Church teaches its members to be good global citizens.

In every country, this Church teaches its members to honor, obey, and sustain the law. We teach the importance of the family, of being good parents and exemplary citizens.

I saw firsthand how determined they were in “obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.”

Located at the Scotland Edinburgh Mission Home

I’ve just sent them home. As we drove to the airport, we drove slowly so they could see the flowers and sky and ocean they didn’t get to see since they arrived in the dark. Mom loved every single flowering tree and bush. Dad commented that it was nice to be out of the house again. I agreed. It was really nice to be out of the house again.

But it was even nicer to know that my parents’ honor means something to them. It was nicer to see their integrity in action. It was nicer to see who they really were when no one else was watching. They know who they are and they are acting well their part. That was way nicer to me than being out of the house again. And being in the house with them was my blessing.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

I believe we go through much of our pain as we are tutored in the sacred work of learning to succor one another. Once learned, our commission is to do so. It is the most humbling experience I know — a knowing that all we can do is “drop the rope ladder” into the abyss of another’s pain. We cannot climb it for them. To attempt to do so is a form of pride. The message we send is that we believe they cannot be successful in climbing it themselves. This is the lie our pride would have us believe.

When my sons were in their teens, I was concerned with how to help them through their struggles. I was reading in Alma 29:1-2:

“O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of my heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance to every people”

Then, in verse 3:

“But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.”

That’s when I wrote a note in the margin of my scriptures: “If I could learn it, so can they… Let them.” That thought hit me with power and I’ve been learning how to “let them” ever since.

I can shine a light into their darkness, but I cannot tell them what to see. Life is the ultimate teacher for all of us. Agency is a sacred and powerful component in the plan of happiness. The Lord Himself will not override our agency. It was the adversary’s plan to compel everyone to be righteous so all would return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.  

Heavenly Father knew the struggles we would encounter in this world. He sent us here on purpose and designed this laboratory of learning to teach us, to refine us, to strengthen us. Part of that means going through difficult lessons, failing, getting up again, learning, persevering with the tenacity that would bring us through whatever besets us. As we long for healing, compassion, gentleness, and forgiveness, we begin to understand how to succor others as they go through their struggles.

One of the spouses in the addiction recovery program my husband and I manage for our stake once admitted, “I don’t automatically go to compassion when I encounter my husband’s poor choices. I go to anger, judgment, shattering of trust.” As I thought about her response, I replied, “At your age, you may never have experienced departing from the core values you hold sacred. Maybe you’ve never made a mistake that deeply injured a loved one, that made their life head down a road of pain and remorse. Maybe for some people, compassion isn’t a natural gift they brought through the veil. Maybe until you desperately need compassion for your mistakes, you won’t understand the value of compassion or the soul-wrenching need to be bathed in compassion. Compassion is always appropriate. Always.”

I came across a journal entry I made in 1983. I was capturing the events surrounding my oldest son’s interview to be called on a mission:

“Ordinarily a young man is interviewed by his bishop and stake president on a local level and at their recommendation, a letter is issued from the Presidency of the Church calling them on a specific mission. Because of my son’s background of being abused and the resulting acts of immorality he experienced, it was necessary for him to be interviewed by a General Authority. This was just a few weeks before we were scheduled to have a stake conference and there would be a General Authority in attendance. The time was close at hand to see if he was indeed “ready” to be called on a mission. 

 

My son had expressed to me that he wished he could be called to New Zealand because of the fact that it was an English-speaking foreign mission. It also would be among many Polynesian people whom he had learned to love when he spent two seasons in Hawaii with the Youth Developmental Services during high school. However, since you don’t get to pick where you go, he felt the chances of going there were very slim. 

 

At the last minute, the General Authority who was scheduled to come to our stake conference had a change of plans, so a different General Authority, Elder Gossland, was sent to our stake. What we learned later was that Elder Gossland was the head of the church missionary department and also the executive administrator over the New Zealand mission. 

 

My son was scheduled for an interview on Saturday evening after the evening meeting. My husband, my dad and I were waiting in the hall for him to get finished. Thirty long minutes passed and he finally opened the door. He was still sobbing and motioned for us all to come in because Elder Gossland wanted to talk to us. For one horrible instant, I was afraid he was going to tell us my son wasn’t ready to go on a mission. I was drowned in sorrow because I knew all he had been through.

 

As we all sat down, Elder Gossland looked at my son for a long time and then he looked at me. Then he said “I called all of you in here because I wanted to tell you that your son is a remarkable young man. He has been totally honest with me and I want you to know that what he has been through would have totally destroyed most people. I believe it is because of the love and strength of his mother that he is where he is today.” Then he turned to my son and said, “I want you to know that the Lord is very pleased with you and that all of your sins are forgiven you. You are as pure as the driven snow. I have absolutely no reservations about recommending your son for a mission. My only regret is that I won’t be able to be his mission president. Do you have any idea the kind of influences for good your son is going to be in the mission field? He is truly one of the rare ones!”

 

As you can well imagine, by that time I was emotionally and spiritually wiped out! No mother could have been prouder or felt more blessed than I did. Because of the respect we pay to those called as General Authorities in our church, I couldn’t have felt more blessed if Heavenly Father Himself had said those things, because I believe Elder Gossland was inspired to say what he said.

 

Me, who had felt so bad, so responsible, so inadequate as a mother, had just received acceptance from the Lord. The Lord had accepted my son — the fruit of my womb, the fruit of my labors. He was prepared before the Lord, was acceptable as a worthy vessel to teach His gospel to others. What greater joy is there?

 

As we prepared to leave the room, we shared a thrill when Elder Gossland told us he was over the New Zealand mission and he asked my son if that’s where he wanted to go. To which he replied, “Yeah, but I figured I’d never get sent there ’cause I’d enjoy it too much. I figure the Lord will send me where I’ll be humbled.” (In my heart I felt that Elder Gossland and the Lord felt he had already been humbled.) Just six days later he got his mission call to the Auckland New Zealand mission!

To read more of Sonja’s articles, click here.

What I have learned in the years since then as I’ve watched my sons on their journey to where they are now, being the fathers of daughters and grandchildren, is that they have strength beyond anything I could have wished for them. They have used their agency to learn from life through some difficult challenges and a few rewarding ones. I continue to be proud of the men they’ve become. We are working as a family on the ministry of reconciliation as we pull together to heal the broken pieces.  Both my sons are amazing men who have been through the furnace of affliction more than once. I would have liked to have taken their blows for them, and I know that to attempt to do so would send them the message that I thought was stronger than they are and that is not true. If I could “make it” so can they — so I let them!

Like many families, we have children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters that sometimes seem to be drowning in an ocean of pain. Our responsibility isn’t to somehow erase the pain — it’s to love them, pray for them, encourage them, believe in them, and in the case where they are estranged from us for a time, do all those things and be patient.

Working in the addiction recovery program, my husband and I are learning more and more how to allow the gift of the Atonement to function in our lives and the lives of those over whom we have stewardship. Recovery from trauma isn’t a 12-week course — it’s a lifetime pursuit.

I realize I don’t yet fully understand the purpose of suffering and being refined in the furnace of affliction. I just know that Heavenly Father sent us here on purpose, knowing that we would have agency long before we had wisdom. He knew that this was a critical developmental stage — and it isn’t the last developmental stage. He could take all the pain away and He doesn’t. Rather, He strengthens us as we reach for Him. Most importantly, He sent His Son to redeem us and bring us home. 

Sonja Hopkins

Sonja lives with her husband, Dale, on Anderson Island, Washington. She and her husband are Church Service Missionaries serving in the Addiction Recovery Program, focusing on pornography and sex addiction. She is also a certified life coach and teaches “Life Skills for Emotional Self-Mastery” in her stake twice a month. She does not teach you only to process something traumatic done to you in the past; rather, she helps you learn to feel it, heal it, and LET GO of whatever you still do to yourself and to others in order to cope with what was done to you in the past.

In the recent April 2020 General Conference of the Church, the challenge of honing our skills to receive personal revelation continued with amazing emphasis. Just look at the magnitude of the quotations below!

Because of that relationship with our Heavenly Father, I believe He expects us to receive revelation from Him. … Heeding personal revelation leads to personal progression. We listen and act (Sister Joy D. Jones, “An Especially Noble Calling,” Apr. 2020 General Conference).

Along with the peaceful direction we receive from the Holy Ghost, from time to time, God powerfully and very personally assures each of us that He knows us and loves us and that He is blessing us specifically and openly. Then, in our moments of difficulty, the Savior brings these experiences back into our mind.  … God knows and loves each of us and … He eagerly desires to reveal Himself to us. These experiences may come at pivotal times in our lives or in what may at first seem as uneventful happenings, but they are always accompanied by an exceptionally strong spiritual confirmation of the love of God. … [T]he spiritually defining memories from our book of life are like luminous stones that help brighten the road ahead. … There are times when spiritual feelings go down into our heart like fire, illuminating our soul. Embrace your sacred memories. Believe them. Write them down. Share them with your family. Trust that they come to you from your Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son (Elder Neil L. Andersen, “Spiritually Defining Memories,” Apr. 2020 General Conference).

As we seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths. … I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation (President Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Apr. 2020 General Conference).

“I assure you that revelatory guidance can be received by each of us as we humbly labor in the Lord’s vineyard. Most of our guidance comes from the Holy Ghost. Sometimes and for some purposes, it comes directly from the Lord. I personally testify that this is true” (Elder Quentin L, Cook, “The Blessing of Continuing Revelation to Prophets and Personal Revelation to Guide Our Lives,” Apr. 2020 General Conference).

“The Savior Himself restored His Church to help us on the path to become more like Him. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is structured to provide opportunities to practice the fundamentals of discipleship. Through our participation in the Church, we learn to recognize and act on the promptings of the Holy Spirit” (Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Come and Belong,” Apr. 2020 General Conference).

As I said in the beginning, current circumstances in our household have given me a wonderful opportunity to practice receiving personal revelation. In February, our 13-year-old grandson came to live with us for an unspecified amount of time. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a teenager under our roof. Neither of us were sure we could handle that kind of stress anymore. We weren’t even sure we remembered how to do this. Yet, for the past two months, I have felt consistently guided by the Holy Ghost.

To read more of Tudie’s articles, click here.

I have not gotten it right all the time. As a matter of fact, I’ve gotten it wrong a lot. There have been a couple of times when the Spirit has been compelled to leave me because my temper got the best of me. The power of repentance is real. As I have humbled myself and repented, the Spirit has warmed my soul. Peace has drifted into our home like a soft spring breeze. I have received personal revelation each day to help us to guide our grandson.

I can’t close this article without noting a bonus blessing I had not anticipated. As I have practiced my skills at receiving personal revelation, my husband has been guided by the Spirit to be gentle, loving, and patient with me and with this process—even at great inconvenience to him. As he has watched me receive personal revelation, he has stepped back and let me do what I’ve been guided to do by the Spirit. It has given me a great appreciation for his willingness to be obedient, even as our whole “empty nest” style of life has been turned upside down. When we agreed to take our grandson, none of us could have anticipated being quarantined together in a pandemic, nor me homeschooling. Yet, my husband has rolled with the punches because he knows that I’m receiving personal revelation. He has a great desire to follow God’s plan, even as it is revealed to him through his wife. What a great blessing this is—not only for my grandson, but for me. I have been given another glimpse of what kind of man I married, and what celestial life might look like for us.

Practice receiving personal revelation. It just might change your life.

Tudie Rose

Tudie Rose is a mother of four and grandmother of ten in Sacramento, California. You can find her on Twitter as @TudieRose. She blogs as Tudie Rose at http://potrackrose.wordpress.com. She has written articles for Familius. You will find a Tudie Rose essay in Lessons from My Parents, Michele Robbins, Familius 2013, at http://www.familius.com/lessons-from-my-parents.

God Gives Consequences

The Lord didn’t disappoint me. He gave me a new insight that calmed my heart and gave me peace. As I complained to Him, He offered this thought: “Do you think I like doing it any more than you do? How often have I had to enforce the consequences of sin and disobedience? I hate it too. These experiences are giving you a taste of what I go through.” And then I remembered how God had to cast out a third of the hosts of heaven when they willfully disobeyed and chose to follow Satan. What an awful day that must have been!

We learn in the scriptures that God can’t look on sin with the least amount of allowance or He ceases to be God. I am sure by now He is pretty used to that part of His role. But in getting a small taste of what He must do for all of mankind, I am gaining a new level of respect for just how hard it must be to be the Father of us all.

Learning

In that moment, I was glad my parenting duties didn’t require that I cast anyone out. And I had compassion for the Lord, who likely hurts as much as we do when we sin. If He loves us so much more than we can comprehend, He must ache that much more when He can see exactly how much our rebellion will cost us in the end.

I am grateful I was only dealing with putting the iPad in time out. And then God gave me another thought — that in practicing parenthood here on Earth, He was giving me a chance to grow to be a little more like Him. It was a comfort to think of these experiences helping me grow. It doesn’t suck any less, but it does make it a little easier.

Consequences Aren’t the Enemy

To read more of Abby’s articles in her Living in Harmony column, click here.

I used to think of the discipline part of parenting as “jail insurance” — or in other words, as I taught my child to follow the rules, I was teaching him how to obey the laws and that would keep him out of jail in the long run. But now I realize that I am teaching him how to grow closer to God, because God will require obedience from him too.

So even though I still hate discipline, I know that in following through, in allowing natural consequences, I am teaching eternal principles. It’s a huge comfort as my son enters the teen years and becomes exponentially more challenging, because I know what a great heart he has and that when he is done growing, he will realize that learning about consequences was a good thing.

**Natural consequences never involve hitting or unkind words. For more Godly parenting tips, please read and understand “The Family: a Proclamation To The World.”

Abby Christianson

Abby is capable and caring. She is learning more about Autism and parenthood every day. Having completed training to be an RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) for ABA therapy she is beginning to understand her son. And even though she is the first to admit she makes a lot of mistakes, she is so grateful to be on this journey. She comes from a family with many autistic members. She invites us to join her, as she shares her adventures. She wishes to emphasize that Autism is a difference not a defect. If you or a family member have autism, Abby wants you to know that the challenges can be overcome, and there are blessings in autism. You or your loved one are not sick or broken. Together we will teach the world this new language.

Before I go on, I have to let you know that homeschooling and the online school the kids are doing now are not the same. Online schooling is an effort to continue the classroom experience. You must figure out the teacher and what they want from you to get a good grade. But it can be so much more.

Now that you are home during this quarantine helping your child learn, you get to figure out how they learn. And you can make sure that every concept is mastered before you move on to the next one. Homeschool is the ultimate educational experience because if the topic isn’t mastered, you get to try a different angle.

Find Their Learning Style

For me, finding my son’s learning style has been the largest eye-opening experience in home education. My son has always done well in school and gotten good grades. But when I brought him home to teach him, he wasn’t understanding what I was teaching. After some observation, I realized he is a hands-on, movement-based learner. This explained why his teachers always complained that he was so hyper — he was trying to learn! So, I dove into Pinterest and found every movement-based lesson plan I could find.

Now we keep something in his hands during lessons. We use fidgets, Legos, and even sensory sand or water beads. And when I can tell he is getting antsy, we get up and do something. My favorite thing lately is having a math race. I put flash cards in two lines along a “racecourse” the length of the house, and we race each other with whoever has the answers to the math equations first. It’s a lot of fun!

Online School Resources

Early on I made the mistake of thinking I was responsible for all our classroom content. As a new home educating parent, you may be letting your child’s teacher be the beginning and end of your online resources. But I have learned that Pinterest is a fantastic resource for lessons and activities. There are also a lot of online resources popping up specifically because of this quarantine.

Some of my favorites are stories.audible.com, where they have hundreds of children’s stories to listen to for free. ClickSchooling.com brings you daily recommendations by email for entertaining websites that help your kids learn. If you love games, there are IXL, ABC Mouse, and ST Math. (ST Math is intended as a classroom extra, so there isn’t as much instruction; you sometimes must guess what they are trying to teach you.) And if you like virtual reality field trips, you’ll love Freedom Home Schooling and their awesome experiences.

Recently I have discovered Adventure Academy for kids ages 8-13 (they have a free 30-day trial). And of course, there is Lakeshore Learning Store, which has a million enriching activities to help your homeschool. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! There are more out there, and some are regional. So, I would do a google search for what is available near you.

Keep Calm

To read more of Abby’s articles in her Living in Harmony column, click here.

Above all, remember that this quarantine won’t last forever. And look for the blessings around you. I have recently gotten to see my crocuses come up. I haven’t noticed them in years! I am usually going at such a pace that they are gone before I appreciate them.

There is also more family time right now than ever before. I am so grateful the Church has prepared the home-based, Church-supported learning with Come, Follow Me. The lessons give my family a chance to have regular Sunday lessons even though we aren’t leaving the house.

We have even been better able to have daily scripture reading since our schedules have been cleared. I think when this quarantine is all over, we will look back and realize that we have been given a gift — a gift of more quality time.

Abby Christianson

Abby is capable and caring. She is learning more about Autism and parenthood every day. Having completed training to be an RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) for ABA therapy she is beginning to understand her son. And even though she is the first to admit she makes a lot of mistakes, she is so grateful to be on this journey. She comes from a family with many autistic members. She invites us to join her, as she shares her adventures. She wishes to emphasize that Autism is a difference not a defect. If you or a family member have autism, Abby wants you to know that the challenges can be overcome, and there are blessings in autism. You or your loved one are not sick or broken. Together we will teach the world this new language.