Monthly Archives: July 2018

Service Is Joy

23 Monday Jul 2018

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2018 Adult Autism Symposium

Recently my husband and I volunteered at the Second Annual Adult Autism Symposium in Chattanooga.  This is the only such gathering east of the Mississippi River and so many of the attendees came from out of state.  The creator of this event is Scott Kramer, program director and founder of the Centre for Adult Autism, Southeast USA (GCA.)  The purpose of this organization is, “Empowering autistic adults and young adults and their parents/caregivers by serving as a resource center to provide mutual support, information & activities.” The GCA is a program of the Chattanooga Autism Center (CAC) which my husband, Mark and I volunteer regularly for as well as help to raise money by sponsoring Team Lexi at the CAC Walk every year.

Scott Kramer is an adult with Autism and founded this GCA, formally known as the Greater Chattanooga Aspies. But not all adults or children for that matter have the high functioning Asperger’s. In fact Asperger’s is now just part of the spectrum of all forms of Autism and not considered separate.  When I asked him about the Logo, he explained that the round ball in the center represents a head of a person while the curved moon shape reflect open arms.  The balls are being “tossed” between the hands.  In Scott’s words, “This perception can be seen as an adult living with autism who (a) has hope (because of the arms being open), (b) is learning independent living skills (because of the juggling of various responsibilities), (c)is strong (because of the dark shade of blue).” 

I learned the meaning of service at a very young age. Doing a “service project” in Girl Scouts was a given and the older I got the more sophisticated the service. At Sunday school, my teachers taught that giving to others our time and talents was good for all concerned. Not only did the person I was helping benefit, but I grew spiritually in doing the giving. It wasn’t until I was an adult and continued to volunteer for various organizations that I truly understood the meaning of service. One of my favorite quotes is by Rabindranath Tagore: “I slept and dreamt that life was joy.  I awoke and saw that life was service.  I acted and behold, service was joy.”

At the symposium I met adults with Autism, parents of adults with Autism, speakers with knowledge to share, and vendors with goods to sell for anyone under the spectrum and vendors with Autism selling their art, inventions, and ideas. For example I met at young man and his mother who started an alternative baseball league for teens, age 15 and up and adults with Autism.  He lives in the Atlanta area and now has leagues in seven states and was looking to start a league in the Chattanooga area. His name is Taylor Duncan. I took a few minutes of my time to hear his message and left with a heart filled with joy.  What an inspiration Taylor is along with his mother who sat proudly supporting her son with his effort telling me that for the first three years there was only one team but members of a minor league volunteered to give the new alternative team tips and so each time they met they played scrimmage games. In 2018, Taylor Duncan was awarded House Resolution 1420 by the Georgia House of Representatives for his work in Alternative Baseball.

“…as he thinketh in his heart, so is he,” (Proverbs 23.7) What we think and say determines our life experiences. Yes, the first time I met an adult or child with Autism that did not make eye contact when talking to me, it was a new experience.  But I realized early on that they still see me and I see them and if I listen to them instead of watch them talking, I really hear what they are saying.  I then can think in my heart instead of my head and be the person I’m called to be.

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Service Is Joy

23 Monday Jul 2018

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GCA ScanRecently my husband and I volunteered at the Second Annual Adult Autism Symposium in Chattanooga.  This is the only such gathering east of the Mississippi River and so many of the attendees came from out of state.  The creator of this event is Scott Kramer, program director and founder of the Centre for Adult Autism, Southeast USA (GCA.)  The purpose of this organization is, “Empowering autistic adults and young adults and their parents/caregivers by serving as a resource center to provide mutual support, information & activities.” The GCA is a program of the Chattanooga Autism Center (CAC) which my husband, Mark and I volunteer regularly for as well as help to raise money by sponsoring Team Lexi at the CAC Walk every year. Mimi and Lexi 2017 Walk

Scott Kramer is an adult with Autism and founded the GCA, formally known as the Greater Chattanooga Aspies. But not all adults or children for that matter have the high functioning Asperger’s. In fact Asperger’s is now just part of the spectrum of all forms of Autism and not considered separate.  When I asked him about the Logo, he explained that the round ball in the center represents a head of a person while the curved moon shape reflect open arms.  The balls are being “tossed” between the hands.  In Scott’s words, “This perception can be seen as an adult living with autism who (a) has hope (because of the arms being open), (b) is learning independent living skills (because of the juggling of various responsibilities), (c)is strong (because of the dark shade of blue).”

I learned the meaning of service at a very young age. Doing a “service project” in Girl Scouts was a given and the older I got the more sophisticated the service. At Sunday school, my teachers taught that giving to others our time and talents was good for all concerned. Not only did the person I was helping benefit, but I grew spiritually in doing the giving. It wasn’t until I was an adult and continued to volunteer for various organizations that I truly understood the meaning of service. One of my favorite quotes is by Rabindranath Tagore: “I slept and dreamt that life was joy.  I awoke and saw that life was service.  I acted and behold, service was joy.”

At the symposium I met adults with Autism, parents of adults with Autism, speakers with knowledge to share, and vendors with goods to sell for anyone under the spectrum and vendors with Autism selling their art, inventions, and ideas. For example I met at young man and his mother who started an alternative baseball league for teens, age 15 and up and adults with Autism.  He lives in the Atlanta area and now has leagues in seven states and was looking to start a league in the Chattanooga area. His name is Taylor Duncan. I took a few minutes of my time to hear his message and left with a heart filled with joy.  What an inspiration Taylor is along with his mother who sat proudly supporting her son with his effort telling me that for the first three years there was only one team but members of a minor league volunteered to give the new alternative team tips and so each time they met they played scrimmage games. In 2018, Taylor Duncan was awarded House Resolution 1420 by the Georgia House of Representatives for his work in Alternative Baseball.

2018 Adult Autism Symposium“…as he thinketh in his heart, so is he,” (Proverbs 23.7) What we think and say determines our life experiences. Yes, the first time I met an adult or child with Autism that did not make eye contact when talking to me, it was a new experience.  But I realized early on that they still see me and I see them and if I listen to them instead of watch them talking, I really hear what they are saying.  I then can think in my heart instead of my head and be the person I’m called to be.

A New Year and Adventure

20 Friday Jul 2018

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This is an open letter to all teachers, para pros, staff and faculty at my grandchildren’s schools:

It is that time of year that students, parents, teachers and faculty begin the new year at their respective schools.

I am very grateful that my grandchildren live and go to schools where they are treated with love, respect, kindness and understanding. And that are receiving a superb education.

My one request would be that no one go back to anything!  By this I mean to resolve to let go of a backward-looking consciousness.  That is, don’t say such things as, “go back to work” or “go back to school.”  These words imply monotony and unhappiness.

Let the new year be a time of reaching forward with eagerness and anticipation. In the days and months ahead live each day as if were the only day of eternity.  For it is true that the most important day is the present day.  There is no point in looking back or wasting time trying to look ahead.

Instead of keeping a calendar counting down the days to the first school break, countdown to upcoming events, celebrations, parties, and fun activities.  Post successes and achievements. Be proud that school is alive and well.

Success is based on the fact the we all have something in common.  We all love our children and grandchildren and we all only want what is best for them.  Knowing that we are one in this effort makes us strong and powerful and lifts us up which makes our schools wonderful.

And so I wish for you a great new year and an adventure for all concerned.  I plan to stay involved in all my grandchildren’s schools and be there for others who would also do so if they could.  For today is the most important year of my life and yours, the midpoint between all that we have been and all that we can and will become.

Happy New Year!

Pris Shartle

Paige, Lexi, Hayden and Emery Kate’s Grandmother and School Volunteer

A Lesson in Perception

17 Tuesday Jul 2018

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This year, 2018 has, for me, several serendipitous qualities. For one, I graduated from high school in 1968 at the age of 18. I, like the majority of my classmates was 68 years old at the reunion. But I have to admit, turning 68 years old has changed me more than any other birthday.  And for the good, I believe.

Philosopher and author, Wayne Dyer published a book not long before he passed away entitled, “ I Can See Clearly Now.” It is a book about his life and how when looking back on those times, he was able to see more clearly what really was going on or in some cases why it happened.  It got me to thinking about my own life and how I got to be where I am today, a sixty-eight year old woman.

My earliest memory was one when I was age three or four.  My brother and I are Irish Twins, born in the same calendar year, me in January and he Christmas day in December. It was Easter and my mother had made matching outfits for the two of us.  My sister was not yet born or was a baby.  Our mother was an excellent seamstress making her clothes as well our clothes.1953 (2)

What I remember most was not that my little brother and I were dressed so beautifully but that my mother was not happy that Sunday morning. I remember clearly sitting in the big arm chair in our little living room of our home.  My brother and I sat together, side-by-side, our legs too short to reach the foot stool at our feet.

He was crying silent tears.  I don’t remember why, just that he would not stop crying and the more he cried the more upset my mother got.  After we got home, my mother started to get us out of our new clothes.  By now my brother is exhausted from not trying to cry and we both show as much patience as two small children can to keep from upsetting our mother more than she was already upset.

My new Mary Jane patent leather shoes would be tucked away until the next time we went to church and my brother’s new saddle oxford shoes were removed.  Doing so, my mother discovered a wad of tissue paper jammed into the foot of each of my brother’s shoes. In that split second my mother realized that in taking the new shoes out of the box she had neglected to pull out the tissue and thus  my brother was forced to wear his new shoes with the tissue cramping his little feet.  This is why he had been crying and yet was unable to tell our mother what was wrong.

Later when she told this story to us, what I remembered remained the same but what I forgot was her over-whelming sense of regret and shame she felt for letting this happen to one of her children.  It was not a terrible thing, but one that could have been avoided had she stopped being upset with my brother and taken the time to figure out why he was crying.

I can see clearly now, at age 68, while sitting in that chair, holding my little brother’s hand that I was able to see things from a new perspective. I watched my mother who sat on the step stool discover that tissue paper, and it was the first time in my life that it occurred to me that things just might not be what they seem. It also marks the first time I began to wonder why my mother was always so unhappy. I inherited that same stool and today when I prop my feet upon it, I am mindful of the lessons I learned that Easter Sunday so many years ago. Things are not always what they appear no matter if seen through the eyes of a small child, young mother, or a 68 year-old grandmother.

 

Crow Like a Rooster

02 Monday Jul 2018

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This morning I got to thinking about why a rooster crows. I had heard it was to find a mate, but research tells me that a rooster will pretty much crow for any reason.  Scientists have determined that they have an inner clock that calls them to crow before the sun rises.

There are two roosters that live on the farm behind my neighborhood, and my house backs up to the road which the main house of the farm sits on.  I’ve never seen them, but I hear them all day.  So much so, I often don’t hear them even when they are crowing.

I became fascinated with “my” rooster when I first heard the story of the rooster Chantecler in the play, so named, written by Edmond Rostand, (the man who wrote Cyrano de Bergerac). The play is notable in that all the characters are farmyard animals including the main character, a chanticleer, or rooster.  Chantecler believes that his crowing causes the sun to rise and refuses to tell the other barnyard animals why his music is so beautiful. The play goes on with plots of deceit and murder, symbolizing the sign of times during Rostand’s life.

Chantecler the rooster

Maude Adams playing Chantecler in the 1911 play

Finally, Chantecler is lured from the barnyard by a beautiful pheasant who wants him to give up his crowing for her.  He denies her request but he ends up protecting all the birds from a hawk. He and the pheasant end up together in the forest when his life is threatened and this time she saves his life.  Both return to the barnyard where the pheasant resigns herself to being second place to Chantecler’s devotion to his duty of crowing every morning.

We can all take a lesson in devotion to duty and what is wrong with crowing about it as well? I’m sixty-eight years old and my duty in this time in my life is to help take care of my grandchildren.  Maybe not every day, but in a supportive role when needed. Whether I’m volunteering at their school, driving them to and from school, being the “mystery reader” in their classroom, or cheering for them at award ceremonies, I am present.  Maybe I cook a meal or two now and then, or take them out for a treat, a movie, or lunch.  Maybe we play a game of cards, Candyland, or I binge watch Fuller House with them on Netflix.

I’m proud to be a grandmother and grateful for my inner strength, healthy outlook, and ambitious attitude that makes me want crow like a chanticleer rooster or the roosters that lives behind my house.

 

group bowling

The Grandchildren – Good Times