This is a project I've wanted to undertake for some time now. I was an adjunct professor who taught students to write but I never seemed to find time to write on my own. With 3 boys under the age of 11, there's always a fairly excusable reason not to do something for myself. But now is as good a time as any to tackle a goal one foot in front of the other...
My name is Jill and I live in western Montana. I moved here to attend graduate school and have grown roots deep enough in this mountain soil that even when I leave I have to come back. I'm kind of like a perennial plant--I go away for a season but always return, some years more resilient than others.
I started this blog for a few reasons. First, I'm turning forty in a few months and I'm burdened with the overwhelming feeling that life is much shorter than I initially thought. So I had better start checking things off my list. Not that I think I'm going to die tomorrow. But if I did, in fact, kick the bucket, I'd like to think I left some kind of imprint on those I left behind. Maybe this blog could be part of that imprint.
But mainly, I have a story to tell that I think many people can identify with. My middle son, Alder, developed autism sometime before his 2nd birthday. And today he no longer has an autism diagnosis. And the answer is NO, he did not "outgrow" it. There's no such thing. We're recovering him from the disease. Although I'm fully aware of the massive increase in autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in recent years, I realize many people can't directly relate. But mine remains a journey full of challenges, triumphs, disappointments, heartache, hopelessness, fear, courage, plateaus, breakthroughs and a whole lot more. And most people can identify with those things.
So this blog is for anyone who's faced with a challenge or who's overcome some hardship or is living with something they can't overcome. This blog intends to give you hope. I want you to know you're not alone. That maybe you can see some of yourself in my antidotes and stories on my journey of Finding Alder. I hope you join me on this journey...
My name is Jill and I live in western Montana. I moved here to attend graduate school and have grown roots deep enough in this mountain soil that even when I leave I have to come back. I'm kind of like a perennial plant--I go away for a season but always return, some years more resilient than others.
I started this blog for a few reasons. First, I'm turning forty in a few months and I'm burdened with the overwhelming feeling that life is much shorter than I initially thought. So I had better start checking things off my list. Not that I think I'm going to die tomorrow. But if I did, in fact, kick the bucket, I'd like to think I left some kind of imprint on those I left behind. Maybe this blog could be part of that imprint.
But mainly, I have a story to tell that I think many people can identify with. My middle son, Alder, developed autism sometime before his 2nd birthday. And today he no longer has an autism diagnosis. And the answer is NO, he did not "outgrow" it. There's no such thing. We're recovering him from the disease. Although I'm fully aware of the massive increase in autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in recent years, I realize many people can't directly relate. But mine remains a journey full of challenges, triumphs, disappointments, heartache, hopelessness, fear, courage, plateaus, breakthroughs and a whole lot more. And most people can identify with those things.
So this blog is for anyone who's faced with a challenge or who's overcome some hardship or is living with something they can't overcome. This blog intends to give you hope. I want you to know you're not alone. That maybe you can see some of yourself in my antidotes and stories on my journey of Finding Alder. I hope you join me on this journey...
This is beautiful, Jill. I will be joining you on this journey. Thank you so much for sharing it.
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