What LIES behind our Facebook Posts is REAL LIFE.

So today..I read a great blog, the title was I’m not a liar but Facebook sure is.  {click on link to read it} It talks about how our Facebook posts and pictures can sometimes show the BEST of everything, MOST TIMES.  As for me, I don’t want to display negativity on FB for the most part because I don’t want to bring anyone down.  I would also hope that EVERYONE knows that there isn’t ONE life out there that doesn’t have some trials…whether large or small something in their minds isn’t perfect.  I do believe that comparison can steal your JOY, but what if it helps you to strive to do better whether it is in your marriage, with your children, your health, or your faith?  The biggest and most important thing is that with our assumptions we don’t take the time to REALLY get to know what is on the other side of the posts and pictures.  

I wanted to look back at a few pictures and share a few things on the other side of them to give you a little example.

Somedays I can be on FB it feels like NON STOP, it might look like I am sitting down with nothing better to do, but really what I am doing is running around, making my bed, getting the clothes folded and put away in my bedroom so that when the carpet company comes he can actually see and be able to measure the floor, I take a peek at my phone as I walk into the kitchen to put away everything that has got out of control on my kitchen counter and do the dishes that are pilling up in the sink, stop take a peek-make a comment.  I am being productive!!!!

What about the picture of my daughters dental cleaning!!!  She looked beautiful…but the real truth is that she is struggling with keeping her gums nice and healthy.  And she is probably bugging me to take her somewhere and buy her something.

Then, the pictures I post on Date Night..when I finally took a shower, put make up on and did my hair all in the same day!!!!?????  Most days I am wearing sweats, with my hair in a pony!

You notice that most of my pics have been from the waist up….because I am not feeling comfortable in my own shoes right now.  My shirts are still fitting pretty good but my pants are feeling a bit snug.  I have been struggling with motivation to lose some weight…YOU DON’T SEE THAT IN MY post and pictures.

When I see posts of girls my age with success stories of losing weight, it makes me feel hopeful.  When I see families at The Dells, I wonder how our family would do there?  I don’t like to be in public in a swimsuit {well especially with this extra weight} and will I have to be running around after my youngest son who is on the spectrum??

I don’t think it would be FUN to see and hear me or others always complaining about all the LIFE stuff on the other side of the photos that is going on.  I think REAL friends, hand and hand, face to face, is where we share those things.  Are we still forming and taking time for REAL FRIENDSHIPS or is FACEBOOK enough?  What are your thoughts??  Are you able to LOOK at the positive posts and GROW or strive to be better, or do you let it bring you down???

Autism Awareness

So, I am not sure if I can put what today means to me into words. Autism looks so different in each individual. The spectrum is large....but I know just like any other challenging characteristic of a child, family member or loved one...it requires a huge amount of patience, a huge amount of FAITH and strength to get through each day. Awareness to me is talking about it, sharing your struggles, surrounding yourself with those that might not understand but care, that accept and love the character and beauty that comes from each child. I have learned that there is NO BOX that we can fit our children in. I look at Mitchell and his FREE spirit of not caring who is watching when he wants to sing. Or if he is excited, everyone will know about it. Awareness to me is to not FORGET that the spectrum is LARGE and my autism journey looks very mild at times, but the unknown is scary. Autism diagnosis is growing and what is scary is all these children that can not be independent will grow up NEEDING CARE...I had a friend tell me about her own story a few weeks ago when I asked her what her WHY was and along with many others she wanted to be sure her daughter would be well taken care of when she was no longer around. The awareness that TUGS at me is, these children WILL be in the hands of family members and caretakers. Awareness to me is to BE OPEN MINDED to hearing, reading, and thinking about what so many brave people have researched, lived and discovered COULD possibly be a cause of AUTISM. I without a doubt don't blame anything for Mitchell's autism, this was God's plan for him and for our family, BUT I also know that God created me to be that person that would SHARE what I know so that maybe I could protect those OPEN MINDED people from allowing this to happen to their families. ‪#‎hardtoputintowords‬ ‪#‎openminds‬ ‪#‎untilallthepiecesfit‬ ‪#‎goingthedistanceforMitchell‬