Home / Autism Spectrum / Page 4
On Sunday afternoon we visited Strokestown House and the Irish National Famine Museum in Co. Sligo, Ireland. It was a unique and memorable experience. The weather was fantastic, but the warmest part was the wonderful treatment we received from the guides and staff at the site. Strokestown House is a Georgian Palladian mansion preserved with
Nick continues to amaze us all. We were attending the 60th birthday party of my cousin Drew Doherty. We had gotten a birthday card and after writing our sentiment in the card, Arden asked Nick to write his name. We are very proud of the fact that Nick can write his name. He is proud
Nick loves meeting new people. Often he will put out his hand as he says, “Hello.” If they respond to him, he follows up with, “What is your name?” Some people will engage with him and others seem affronted by his attempt to talk to them. On Monday, I decided to follow his example. Traveling
Over the past few months we have experienced grief and the rituals surrounding the death of a loved one. We have had our own loss and have attempted to support our friends and extended family with their losses. Today there were two funerals, each one for a person who had lived many decades and their
I am in Galway, alone. Oh, I am with friends. However, I am not with Nick. He and Arden are up in Donegal and I will join them on Monday. This weekend I am presenting at a conference on Mothering at Galway University. My talk is entitled, “The Unexpected Mothering Story. When the story doesn’t
Nick woke up Monday morning quite excited. He didn’t even say good morning in response to me entering his bedroom. He started singing, “On the road again!” I cracked up. He knew that we were traveling to Ireland and understood the sentiment in the song. He couldn’t articulate his excitement but he could communicate it
In the fall of 2010, Nick’s seizures were out of control. Our epileptologist (a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy) was looking for all sorts of solutions including the usual medicine changes. Some of the factors used to manage epilepsy can include controlling his environment, eating or restricting certain foods, following a strict medicine schedule and
Ancient Greek philosophers taught us “The only thing that is constant is change.” It seems that just as soon as I get used to the current changes in our lives, we are facing a new normal. Nick has fallen a couple of times this past spring, one caused a broken ankle, the other caused a
I wanted to share this story not only because I think that it is a very cute story about Nick, but also because I believe that wisdom and support can often come to us from unexpected sources if we are open to receiving it. The other day, Nick’s younger brother Derek and I were discussing
Announcing that I have finished a book with the working title of “The Fairy Fort.” I am currently pitching it to publishers. Keep checking back to watch the progress of my newest novel.
Here is a quick glimpse of the story.
Sarah Doherty is an 18-year-old living in rural Ireland at the tail end of the Great War. Plagued by severe epilepsy, she is protected by her parents and lives a sheltered, secluded, lonely life. The Fae, local Irish fairies, interfere with her life. She falls forward a century in time through the local fairy fort of standing stones. She had a seizure in 1918 and woke up in 2020. The 21st century world includes life-saving prescriptions, physical comforts and the independence and freedom she seeks. The locals are welcoming and Andy Mclaughlin, a handsome young historian, is intriguing. She doesn’t want to return home.
Then a letter arrives from Boston divulging the story of Sarah and Andy’s lives that are deeply entwined in the previous century. They are not yet in love but as they seek to verify the letter through online resources, they feel a growing obligation to their unborn family and to each other. What would happen to their posterity living in Boston if they don’t return to 1918? Even if they do make it back, her parents can never know what happened to her or that would change everything.
This Young Adult time-travel romance explores the question: Do we have the freedom to make choices or is free will an elaborate illusion?
This is my third book. I love reading time travel romances. I am an advocate for epilepsy awareness because my 43-year-old son has intractable epilepsy. As a genealogist specializing in Irish research, I live part of the year in the village where the story is based. I wrote the book to help young adults understand that difficult situations can change your life. Sometimes miraculously.
