I had an epiphany a few weeks ago. They are always unusual. An epiphany takes on many forms along the way. Some times they come along in the darkest of our times. On some occasions they are found at a high point of life. No doubt you experienced at least one or two in your lifetime. My hope is that yours has a spiritual meaning because of your connection to God in Christ. Even if that moment wasn't directly related to religion God can use them for His good.

My youngest is autistic. He turned 12 the end of last month. It is time for changes to start with him as they do for any 12 year old. It is also time for me as a parent to begin looking to the future when he hits 18. He is without a doubt my best bud. We go places together as often as possible. You can usually find us at WalMart or out running the local mall. Please do not think that my heart does not feel the same toward my daughter. She is also my favorite person in the world. She and I went to our first Texas Rangers game of the summer last night. We had a blast till the wee hours of the morning when we got home.

My son and I were as usual driving to Longview on some errand. My guess is we already went through the car wash that is our nearly daily ritual. While driving, I looked over at him with what seemed like new eyes. My thought was that I wondered if something happened to me would he even know or remember? It goes without saying that my eyes watered quite a bit. I have all this love surging in my heart that I want to give him. My prayers take on new urgency when they are about him with his limitations. As much as it hurts to watch him struggle it hurts even more to imagine my life without him. As the movies says, he completes me.

Afterward I wondered if God has similar emotions. Does He ask if we notice when that connection is losing its effect? Can we break His heart by not even noticing in our busy life that He want more of us? The first thing that I find in scripture is that God wants our heart far more than anything else. He can do more with that than all the talent in the world. He wants a heart soft to be shaped by Him. He wants to have the same place in our life that He holds in the universe. My hope is God gets my heart as much as I want my son to know mine.

Wednesday, April 2 is Autism Awareness Day. My youngest is diagnosed as autistic. Last Saturday he turned 12 years old. We celebrated the entire Spring Break with more than a few trips to eat, shop, and just have fun. We have a great time whenever we are together. Some times may be more enjoyable than others but I do all that I can to enjoy him. He has no idea that he is autistic. It's very possible that he wouldn't care if he did know. I do know he means the world to me just as his normal, healthy sister does. My world revolves around this condition caused autism. That's what makes it more amazing how much it affects the world.

Did you know that 25,000 children will be diagnosed with autism during this calendar year?

Did you know that there is no blood test, scan or image that can detect autism?

Did you know that scientific research for autism is just now in its infancy stages?

Did you know that 1 in every 150 children in this country displays autistic symptoms?

Did you know that number goes to 1 in every 94 boys?

Did you know that now totals 1.5 million children for whom therapies are not covered by most insurance?

Did you know the lifetime cost of caring for one child with autism ranges from $3.5 to $5 million dollars?

My autism awareness bracelet arrived this week. It is much like the "livestrong" bracelets made famous by Lance Armstrong for cancer. It may not seem like much but it is something that I can do for my son and myself. We are all "fearfully and wonderfully made." That includes those that are odd or out of place. The next time you see someone odd or disabled try being patient. God loves them as much as He does the rest.

Bro. Trey