Category: Pushing Forward

Day 40 of 30 day Plant Power No Dairy only diet experiment to see if a Plant Based Diet could make a positive impact on our beautiful Antonio’s physical and behavioral health. I immersed myself in the process before adopting the dietary change for Antonio because Antonio does not speak at this time and I needed to be the “tempeh guinea pig” to experience what Antonio might feel. I originally set a 30 day goal for this experiment but because this new way of eating for me has had such a profoundly positive impact on my own physical and behavioral health I decided to “triple down” and extend my journey for 90 days…a full season. I have come to realize that there may be no single greater thing I can do for my son then to adopt a cleaner healthier diet for him. I sincerely know that a ” Plants Only” diet may not work for everyone but it surely won’t hurt giving our bodies a rest once in a while…

13 days into our medical marijuana experiment hoping to find a more holistic healing solution for our beautiful Antonio’s self injurious and aggressive behaviors and… “so far so good”. No this is not some “glossy BS” post where I am reporting that all innapropriate behaviors have miraculously vanished and that our beautiful Antonio moves through the home in a relaxing tranquil state, no…not yet. But I am delighted to report that our little man appears happier, and his innapropriate outbursts have significantly decreased. Please take what helps from my post and research any and all healing alternatives that might help you or a loved one. Medical cannibas is working for our Angel today.
“Was it not true that the best mathematical minds had proved man could never fly…?”
Don’t quit till the Miracle Happens!

 

Today was the very first time our little Angel Antonio brushed his teeth… all by himself.

I believe that small daily improvements, “in whatever we do”, over time… lead to stunning results.

Who am I to actually doubt for a split second that my child, becuase of his special needs, would not want to participate in today’s Easter Egg Hunt…or could for that matter? What type of a parent could I posssibly be to allow myself to even think so small about my son’s pure potential? Thank god for my beautiful wife. Thank god for my beautiful family and my many many blessings…and thank god for the Easter Bunny. We truly are all meant to shine.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

-Marianne Williamson

I don’t want you to love me- I want you to have some fun with me!

A father came home from work and his young daughter met him at the driveway. “Daddy, you’re home!” she said with a big smile. “Daddy, can you take me somewhere fun? Her father flippantly responded, “I have too much work to do, I don’t have time…I will tomorrow. But you know that I love you” His little daughter replied, Daddy, I don’t want you to love me, I want you to have fun with me!”

This story puts in perspective the saying “Actions speak louder than words.”

I had a great time yesterday with two of my children at Chuck E Cheeses… and there also was enough time to stop by and say hello to grandma and grandpa.

I guess it comes down to this: It’s a lot less about what we say and more about what we do that counts.

The other night as I was reading a story book to my two beautiful kindergarten daughters… my daughter Cristina looked up at me with her luminous blue/green eyes and asked. “Daddy…why doesn’t Tonio talk?” I stopped for a moment, took a breath and told Cristina that Antonio was our little angel…and that God sent him to our family so that he could help teach us many wonderful things … and that god gave Antonio to mommy and daddy…and to the rest of our family to teach us all about love, compassion, kindness, patience,…and that Antonio was god’s extraordinary gift and blessing to us all. I didn’t know what else to tell her…

I have had six knee operations from playing basketball in my younger years…and have developed degenerative arthritis in my left knee due to the injuries, the operations… but mostly it was me not taking proper care of my body..the only one I have.

About four months ago I sustained an injury to my lower back while attempting to put our son Antonio into the back seat of my wife’s van.  I was trying to place Antonio in the very last row of the van…where he would be safest… I bent over, twisted to my left…and ouch…I mean really OUCH…and experienced a sharp pain shoot through my lower back. Luckily the injury wasn’t more severe…I could have done a number of bad things to my back…ruptured disk, herniated disc, pinched nerve, back spasms…you name it…but I got off easy. Thank god all I did was strain my lower back…I was extremely lucky. This little lesson in lack of functional fitness was the wake-up call I “sorely” needed. I had been doing outright stupid things to my body for years…and Now was and Now is…the time to change all of that. So…I signed up with Paul Flores of Crossfit East County about a week after this incident and have been training with Paul ever since.

I have lost twenty pounds…recognize some old muscles returning…but more importantly I am ever mindful of not only how I lift Antonio…but how I make all functional movements throughout the day. I haven’t felt this great in more than twenty years! So bend your knees, keep your back straight, and find out more about a Crossfit training program nearest you.

Our beautiful son Antonio has Autism and “for the moment” is non-verbal. I received a phone call from the school nurse this morning and she informed me that Antonio has been touching his ears a lot and the classroom aides think he might be sick. I asked the nurse if he had a temperature and she said “no”. Is it possible that the teacher was just trying to send our son home so that there was one less child to watch in the classroom? Would they do this? I don’t think so…I know his teachers truly care for our child and they would never do that. But could this happen to other children in other classrooms? To those exceptional parents that have children that are non-verbal…how do we know for certain? How do we truly know when our little angels have a headache, a toothache, an earache? Oh…the heartache!

Ban the R Word Now! People with intellectual disabilities are people first. A child with mental retardation is just that…a child first…calling a person with mental retardation a “retard” or “retarded” is a form of dehumanization. By recognizing that a person with an intellectual disability is a person first, and confirming that awareness openly by using “people-first language” you are respecting not only the individual with the disability but the entire intellectual disability community.

Having a child with Autism is a beautiful experience. But I only just realized the “power of the Quesadilla”…and what a great motivator “comida de Mexico” can be to help get our little Angel board the school bus in the mornings. On most days Antonio has to carried out to the school bus kicking and biting because he does not want to go to school. We try every trick in the “book” to help make this daily transistion a success…today a simple wedge of melted cheese between a warm tortilla was the “ticket”! Maybe a little hot sauce between the tortilla next time will get him moving a little faster??? Vamanos y Hasta Luego!