Prayer Vigil for Autism 11/11/06

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends, On November 11, 2006, I would like to hold an interfaith prayer vigil for kids with Autism. Please join me by taking five minutes of your day to visualize a cure, generate greater awareness and unite families and scientific minds everywhere. This is an opportunity for all of us to take a metaphorical deep breath and reflect positively on our lives. A vigil looks like many things to many people. The simplest version might be to sit still and visualize what health and progress would be like for our kids. One might burn a candle or sit in a quiet place. If your situation does not allow for this, simply let things be for five minutes. Pray to whomever you pray to. If you don’t pray, visualize the power of love changing our children’s health and transforming the daily uncertainties our families face each moment. Speak, with your inner voice, what many of us wear around our wrist: Think Autism, Think Cure. I am the parent of a beautiful angel with autism. My motivation for holding this vigil stems from carrying a deep unsettled feeling in my entire being; a feeling that I cannot seem to shake. Autism, like a wrecking ball, moved into our family, quickly smashing dreams and leaving many disjointed pieces to rebuild. Fate not only

knocked on our door, but is now camping out outside. The search for answers is often unbearable. Yet, in the midst of this, the greatest support and semblance of ground comes from my connection to other human beings. This connection helps me make sense of the chaos. This connection fuels the fire in my belly pushing me to unravel the many layers on the path to recovering my daughter. I believe the strength and support of this thread that binds us all together can help us all break through the mystery of autism. This is my belief, my vision, and my goal for this prayer vigil.

The ignorance we encounter every day will not stop until more doctors become educated, until more scientists decide they must dedicate themselves to Autism. Help me reach out to them. Our lives will remain unsettled until answers and admissions start coming in. Five minutes of silent meditation and prayer will bring thousands of hearts and minds together as we envision great

breakthroughs for all kids with Autism. Uniting our community will bring friendships together, helping to relieve the sadness, frustration, and financial strain so many families face on this journey. Whether you believe that your child chose you or that you chose them, they are here to bless our lives in ways we don’t yet understand. For five minutes let them spin, let them tap, let them verbally stim to ‘yeah yeah yeah’ and tooka tooka. Honor them for who they are choosing to be right now! Honor yourselves for the gift you are to them! The Prayer/Meditation vigil will be held twice (to accommodate most schedules) on November 11, 2006. Daytime schedule: 11am in Los Angeles 1pm in Chicago 2pm in New York City Evening schedule: 8pm in Los Angeles 10pm in Chicago 11pm in New York City Don’t worry if you miss the window. We will be linked to each other all day.

Your vigil can happen any time or anywhere. No matter where you are on 11/11, please stop to connect with all of us, even if just to simply reflect on who you were when you started this journey and who you are today as a result of giving your self so completely to the care of your child. This forum has an incredible amount of information and provides a fabulous source of education, wisdom, insight, and inspiration. I want to thank you

for giving so much of yourselves. Please pass this along to other groups, members of your family, friends, and community. If you have a private website, please announce this vigil as an upcoming event. The vigil will be posted at the following website: http://www.breathepeacebe.com. I will send a reminder one week beforehand. Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must be chaos. Before a brilliant person begins something great, they must look foolish in the crowd. From the I Ching May we find and share peace among each other, Jackie Dahl

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