On and On-ness

As a classroom teacher, I had the absolute privilege of serving students and families for many years. Our adventures in the classroom and throughout each school year were fun, exciting, challenging, and memorable.

Near the end of one particular school year, I met with the mother of a graduating young woman who had been diagnosed with autism as a toddler. At the end of a long conversation, I wished her well and asked what she would say to other parents about her journey. 

True to form, she was composed and thoughtful in her reply. She said her message to parents was this:

"It's not the child. It's not. It's the on and on-ness of it all. It's the idea that it never stops that becomes overwhelming at times, but it's not the child. Keep those ideas separate in your mind and heart. And then keep going. Keep learning. Keep doing."

Her words were beautiful in their sentiment and simplicity. As an overarching theme for daily life, her salient words remain some of the most memorable in my teaching career. Not only had she captured her journey as a parent, her journey with her child, their journey together, but she was able and willing to share her experience with me quite transparently and simply because I asked. 

When I thanked her for her poignant thoughts, she commented that thanks were unnecessary, but sharing the message with others is imperative. 

Today, I still remember all of my students and many of their parents, but I hold this heartfelt conversation very near and dear to my heart. In fact, one of the many reasons we started Minds Untapped was to aggregate resources and make them easier to find, consume, share, and use--sharing the message with others. 

Our first product is Blue Hope focuses on autism spectrum disorder. It's free for download and use. 

Available on the Apple App Store for iOS and Google Play Store for Android devices.