One year ago today......

One year ago today we received Eli's diagnosis of PDD-NOS.  One year ago today, our family's life changed direction and started on a new path from which there is no return.  On the anniversary of that day, I look back and think about how much has changed.  

And how much has stayed the same.  

I think of all the Dr. appointments over the past year, and all the parent/teacher conferences and all the meltdowns.  I think of all that Eli has learned how to do by himself, the progress he's made, the accomplishments he's achieved.  I think about the two steps forward, the three steps back and how it seems like our lives just go round and round in this big looping circle, over and over and over, but somehow...somehow....we've still managed to move forward a little bit.  There's no following a straight line between point A and point B in this family's life.  Oh no....we spin round and round, but eventually we get there.

I think of how our family has grown closer, how we've learned more about acceptance and compassion, how we've extended this new understanding beyond our family and reached out to strangers with a kinder, gentler heart and shown them brief moments of love.  A smile.  A kind word.  Or simply by making eye contact and acknowledging them...letting them know we see them and we accept them as they are.

So this day has been an enlightening one for me.  It's been a reminder that a whole year has passed by....and how short a time that really is...and that we've only just begun.  It's only been one year...the first year... of the rest of our lives.  There's no end, but we've certainly moved forward in this journey, if only a small distance.  Our family is solid.  We embrace the future, the challenges, the joys, the Wins! and even the failures, because we learn from those and get smarter.

One year ago today, Dr. Bob told us our son had autism.  And look where we are today.