Saturday, September 27, 2008

Sketchpad Discoveries: The faith of a child


I mentioned the other day that the boys use their sketchpads to help them cope with overstimulation. I recently went through their sketchpads out of curiosity to see what they had drawn and found some really interesting things so I thought I'd share some of what I found.

These are some of the more inspiring drawings and letters that I found:


Drawing of Jesus by Cuddlebug



Cuddlebug's letter reads, "Dear Jesus, I wish you could visit me." He included his phone number and house number also, so Jesus would know where to find him. How sweet is that?



Drawing by Bearhug


Bearhug's letter reads, "Dear [Bearhug's] family, I made this for my family. I made for that I am a child of God. Love, [Bearhug]" So precious!

To really appreciate these, you have to understand that both of them DESPISED going to church until just recently (mainly because of overstimulation, it is often overwhelming for them). They have come home in the past with drawings of angry faces saying, "I hate cerch" and have complained fiercely on a weekly basis about going. They have each had countless meltdowns in church and we've gotten plenty of "disapproving" looks. If you have a child with autism, you know the looks I'm talking about! So to see drawings and letters like this just make my heart feel so happy, I can't even describe it :).



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9 comments:

Sara on September 27, 2008 at 9:29 AM said...

I love it!

Those boys are just plain amazing. I think as parents, with our uniquely different children, we all go through the overstimulation bouts.

With my son, he has high anxiety, OCD, and social issues. Some days it was great at church. Some days we left there in tears.

But, like your boys, he would draw these picutres and it would melt my heart.

Debbie @ Three Weddings on September 27, 2008 at 12:34 PM said...

Those are really sweet notes, but after reading your comment at the bottom, it is even more so. How wonderful that not only have they found a way to enjoy church, you've been able to work through some of the issus, at least for now. Not having a child with autism, I really don't understand the difficulty. Even though Peanut may have problems in the future, I'm pretty sure we will get some understanding by on lookers because of her facial characteristics. When your child doesn't look any different than other children, people often jump to the conclusion that it is the parent's fault. I hope people can learn to be a little more patient and understanding and stop before passing quick judgement on others.

P.S. I love Jesus' curly hair!

The Farmer Files on September 27, 2008 at 1:23 PM said...

I loved all of the drawings! Your boys have such big hearts! I loved the sketches on this post in particular. How awesome to know that the Lord lives in each of your children's hearts! Bless you and your husband for your persistence in attending church as a family in spite of "the looks" and the meltdowns.

LITeacher on September 27, 2008 at 1:59 PM said...

This is a heartfelt post. Those drawings are beautiful. I love your blog- it has such a loving and caring feel to it. You seem to be amazing people with huge hearts. My mom has this saying that I truly believe: "God doesn't give you what you can't handle" You must be a truly gifted person.
Maureen
http://healourlives.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I could just imagine what if felt like when you first saw these drawings - tears would have been streaming down my face. They are heart-wrenching! I think it's wonderful that you didn't give up on taking them to church because they didn't like it at first and now look at where they are. Such an inspirational family! God Bless!

Izzy, Emmy 'N Alexander on September 28, 2008 at 11:29 AM said...

Such good drawings! As for the disapproving looks, well as a mother I now understand!! LOL! We can't always control our children's emotions. Those looks don't bother me so much anymore.

Meg on September 28, 2008 at 1:33 PM said...

Those are so very precious! Good for you for sticking it out. I'm a complete wimp compared to you, those "disapproving" looks get me right down to my soul.

Sigh. Maybe someday. Thank you for sharing these wonderful drawings and notes!

Anonymous said...

This touched my heart! What a comfort it must be to know that your sons have an understanding and a relationship with God! Good for you for enduring the meltdows and disapproving looks - it's going to pay off tenfold!

Anonymous said...

Awwwww! Those are precious. Priceless, even!! Thanks for sharing!

 

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I'm a mom of three boys on the autism spectrum, 11-yr-old identical twins and a 7-yr-old. My husband is a SAHD.

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