There are lots of moments in time that I remember - both good and bad.

I want to share a really great moment with you and this is honestly probably one of the greatest moments as it involves both my son and daughter.

We decided to go to the movies over the holidays. We wanted to go to the “over 19 theatre” as both of my children are now in this age bracket. Normally just my son and I go to the movies together. We have done this for a very long time. In fact, I cannot remember the last time my daughter went to the movies with us. This time when I asked my daughter to come, I was pleasantly surprised that she said yes. We were all quite excited to try out this theatre as we had heard great things about it. We had gone to a 4 pm show so it was not very busy which was perfect for us. None of us likes crowds or noisy places.

We all ordered some fancy drinks and food and they delivered it to our seats - like Wow! It was so nice! And to top it all off with the nice little table and heated seats, we were all in heaven! This was such a great bonding experience for me to have with both of my children. This may sound odd to a lot of people who go to movies as a family all of the time and you may be thinking why is she getting so excited about such a silly thing? But if you live with someone on the spectrum you will totally understand.

Honestly, it was such a nice time we all had together and it’s a memory I will never forget - such a perfect day!

When you live with autism, there are so many dark moments - moments that you choose not to remember, moments that keep you up at night, moments that you cannot even share with other autism parents.

I think God provides us with those good moments just when we need them the most .I was at a place where I really needed it. I am so grateful to God for the good moments that He has given me and the strength that He gives me to manage the difficult ones.

Deuteronomy 31:8 says,

“The Lord himself will go ahead of you. He will be with you.
He will never leave you. He’ll never desert you.
So don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.”

God’s promise to never leave or forsake His people reflects His desire to be intimately involved in their lives. He doesn’t just send His people into challenges; He goes before them, paving the way and walking with them through every trial.

In all my years living with autism, this was one of my most memorable moments and I thank God so much for giving it to me.

If you are an autism parent and you are struggling, God knows, He understands, He hears you and He sees you and know He loves you and will be by your side every step of the way. That is one thing that I know for certain in the darkest moments, there is light and there are good “Moments in Time” to be had for all of us.

Shelly Wedge
Exceptional Family Ministries Coordinator
Amberlea Church