We had been invited for the past couple of years to go horseback riding with one of our Autism support groups. It always seemed to fall on a day that either I had to work or we had other events going on, and honestly I didn’t think much about it. For some reason this year I felt compelled to make a point of attending. I was absolutely amazed and blessed after we went to see how beneficial it was!
This particular horse ranch is designed to assist people with any sort of disability and will teach them how to ride a horse in a safe environment. The trainers are certified and definitely know how to handle children with Autism! Our son found peace, he found joy, and I watched him actually be able to relax and be calm like I had never seen before. If you know anything about Autism in children this is very unusual!
When we arrived they gathered all the kids together and then they had them pick out their helmets for protection, before they could ride a horse. They then divided them into two groups and each group needed to find a buddy. Our son was in the first group… We started on the other side of the barn, where he was able to learn how to care and feed a horse.
Gavin was able to brush a horse named Lady, he was able to feed a horse named Terminator, he was able to talk to a horse named Finn and it was amazing to watch him and Finn together. The horse just stood there ever so kind, as Gavin just continued to talk and talk and talk to the horse. I watched a gentle and loving side of Gavin come out as he was able to connect with this beautiful animal.
In addition to brushing the horses and feed them…the kids were able to get some great lessons on the care of a horse in general. They then brought them to the next room where they lined up to have the opportunity to ride a horse.
One by one they brought them in and saddled them up with a horse based on the size of the child and the size of a horse. Once they were on the horse, two of the trainers walked them around three times in a very large enclosed barn. Gavin was able to also ride a horse as he did a gallop around the barn, which was a real treat!
I saw a different spark in Gavin’s eyes… this day was a huge blessing to him and I can truly understand why these beautiful animals are therapeutic.
We will continue with horseback riding lessons in this next home school year and Gavin also would like to volunteer there one day a week as well. Looking forward to some new adventures!
Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother
I am a Modern Day Working Mama with a homespun twist and a dash of special needs and disabilities – a life of adventure with a constant new norm. 
was
h me that he and his wife where having a “discussion” about what to buy at the food store. Now you might ask “what is the big deal”…but we have all been there. Discussing, fighting, arguing about which Ice Cream to buy, what brand of bread to get etc…. It sounds silly and it really is and yet we let this get to us.
ightly that everything in life seems to bother her. She can bully anyone in her path for the smallest thing they have done wrong and yet if you try to talk to her about anything she will burst into tears with fits of anger. Yikes!!!
Yet on the other hand….life keeps calling, new places to see, new things to taste, new adventures to try with my family. I have people to meet, lives to encourage, people to share great experiences with, people to mentor, people to learn from and a whole lot of life to LIVE.
here is no time for anything anymore. The more I try to tweak things and slow things down …the busier I seem to get. I laugh at times…we love to “check-in” and document what we do on Facebook. I will show up to work or meet someone at an event and the first thing they will say to me is …..”How do you do all that you do?”
that mean the most, what does this mean to you? Even though we are very busy doing things, we are learning more and more that being busy with people and making memories is where it is at for us!!! We love things like home decor, we love to collect things and so on……not to say that there is anything wrong with that, but we have found for us and at this stage of life that “those things” have just taken on a whole new meaning. We have begun to change our way of life and not collect and accumulate so many things but to make choices of what we do like and really want to keep etc… I have also begun to take pictures of some of my treasures and journal the story behind them in a scrapbook. My kids don’t want my “things” ….this seems to be the new trend of the “Millennials” and the “Gen Y”. So then the question is ….what do we do with all this stuff? Well, I decided to get rid of a lot and make room not only in my house but in my life for new memoires that are not made of things, but events, people, and trips etc…..
for dinner. I met a family that said they would make a big deal on Sunday night and call it “Popcorn Sunday”. They had very little money and food during the depression…so popcorn was cheap and available to them so this is what they would eat. But yet the memories of this night still exists to this day and guess what they enjoy eating on a Sunday night still…you guessed it…”Popcorn”.
again and he smiles and is uplifted every time he talks about it. On Saturday night….with a family of 7 and no money, my grandfather
would create “Scrumple”for dinner (a name they made up for this dish). This would consist of every little bit of any type of leftovers from that week. They would get out the big black cast iron skillet and dump in all the little leftover bits and then cover it with oatmeal. They would they fry it up and a gourmet meal, or at least that is how my dad remembers it, was created.
kers for dinner and they were grateful for just that little bit. There was not an option to ask for more….there was no more in the cabinet. As a matter of fact there was not a refrigerator or even a stove in the home. Any yet, the memories of these crackers kept her humble and thankful for every little thing she has to this day.
of homemade “kitchen soup”… and we have even had crackers and jelly for a meal on occasion. Trying something new is good and by doing these things….it has reminded me of the friends and family that have taught me life lessons through their stories.
than most. We know what it is like to consistently tweak our schedule, routine, meds, family events and almost everything else. We know what it is like to just think that “we got it”, to find out we don’t…and what we thought caused the seizures changed again.
1 in 26 Americans will develop epilepsy in their lifetime. An estimated 3 million Americans and 65 million people worldwide currently live with epilepsy. Each year at least 200,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy. In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown.
the package that makes up our family. We call ourselves the #teamgwilson
Resume Of A Mother 