I am the Mom of two wonderful young men. Damien is 22 and Dylan is 21 (Dyl was born on Damien's 1st birthday). I have been married to the most wonderful man, DJ, in the world and have been for 22 years and together for 23 years.

Damien has Autism, and in an effort to understand him, I have dedicated more than 20 years of my life to Autism research both professionally and personally. I also have an uncle, who is only eleven years my elder, that has autism and cerebral palsy. I grew up with the residents of Sky View Living Center, a residential home for people with mental disabilities. My grandmother worked at the facility, and we would often visit with her and our first friends, who were the residents.

My most recent employment was at Child Protective Services as an investigator, so I have learned what it is to be a survivor on two fronts. I am a domestic abuse survivor, as I was severely abused in my late teens to early twenties. I have also watched, investigated, and cared for children who lived in hostile environments. Furthermore, I have grown up with family members with mental illness (specifically bipolar disorder with psychosis) and drug addiction.

My interest in mental disabilities and mental illness have spurred my academic and career paths. I have a degree in Special Education, with an emphasis in autism, Secondary Education, English Language Arts, and Mathematics. The math was just for fun. On this site, you will find several articles on autism, stories about living with a child with autism, quotes from Damien, and videos made about autism. You will also find stories on growing up with a sibling with mental disabilities and mental illness, as well as research on other mental disabilities and mental illnesses.

Furthermore, I have included some fictional stories, poetry, and writing exercises. I love to write, and writing is something that I often do. Most days, I write from the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night. I also enjoy photography, sketching, painting, scrap booking, and other crafts. From time to time, my arts will be included on the site as well.

I am currently re-evaluating my faith and attempting to discover/rediscover my spirituality. I do have some articles on spirituality in several posts, and I will continue to post on my thoughts and ideas every once in a while.

Enjoy reading my thoughts and ideas. My mission is not to offend. This is my path to personal catharsis. What I think today, I may not agree with tomorrow. I am not static and stationary. I am a round character in this round world of ours, I will continue to grow and change.

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