• Priscilla Nason Shartle

hearthealthyboomer

~ Living healthy after age seventy.

hearthealthyboomer

Tag Archives: Chattanooga Autism Center

Gratitude

07 Thursday Nov 2019

Posted by prisnasonshartle in gratitude

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

All Saints Day, Autism, Autumn, Blessings, Chattanooga Autism Center, Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Meister Eckhart, Thank You

Daylight Savings happened several days ago. Mornings are bright, evenings are not. For months we had temperatures rise to and go beyond 100 degrees with no rain in sight. Summer never seemed to end. Then in one day the temperature dropped 20 degrees in a few hours and it is suddenly Autumn. It rained, the leaves have turned to many glorious colors, and yes, our nights and early mornings are very cool while midday is sunny and amazing.

outdoor chapelNovember is the month of gratitude. On Sunday, November 3rd, my church celebrated All Saints Day. We met at our outdoor sanctuary, the Earth and All the Stars Chapel. During the Sunday School hour, the children and adults painted hand-made markers with names of loved ones gone before us.  We then placed them around the ground surrounding us all. Then during the ceremony we listened to the reading of the Necrology.  There was a slight breeze; the sunbeams danced between the tall pine trees; and there was a hush felt as we listened to Fr. Jason and Dea. Jay call out the names. Grateful, I am that everyone could share this beautiful time as a community.

In a few months I will be beginning a new decade, my seventh, and quite honestly I don’t feel any different than I did the last six decades.  Well, sort of. There are some aches and pains, some wrinkles and changes in skin color, but for the most part, I’m as healthy as I can be for a woman my age. My doctor gave me a clean bill of health, along with my annual flu shot a few months ago, and I can’t complain about a thing. So I am grateful to stay the course and continue to live forever.

Recently, a friend from over 20 years ago, sent me a message on Facebook that she had read Matthew 5:16 and thought of me: “Let your light to shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” She went on to say, “You exemplify this verse BEAUTIFULLY and I am very fortunate to have met you!” To which I responded thanking her and suggesting she sent this message to others, but that I too felt fortunate to have met her.  But she followed up with saying, “No, Pris, I sent it only to you. I remember asking you once how you managed always to be so positive and you replied that you were going to live forever. I could have imagined the conversation, I suppose, but it was a pivotal moment for me and one I have never forgotten.” How grateful I am this friend from so long ago reached out to me and shared this message. My response was Thank You.

Autism Walk 2019 photo

As this month continues I’m sure I will be blessed with more bits and pieces of gratitude. Tomorrow I will spend the morning with Emery Kate’s third grade class chaperoning a field trip to Rock City. Four little girls and one young man will be under my charge. Then on Saturday, I have the honor and privilege to walk in the Chattanooga Autism Center’s Annual WALK with our very own TEAM LEXI to which we are so grateful for family and friends donating to this important fundraiser.  On Monday, Emery Kate will be singing at the Veterans Day ceremony to which I will be attending while Mark is in Marietta at Hayden’s last time to sing and walk the halls of his school with his grandfather.

autism ornamentsWednesday next week I have two reasons to be grateful, one is a Local School Goverance Meeting at Lexi’s school, a position I was elected to by other parents and grandparents, and then I am helping a sweet friend and others she has invited to learn to make quilted ornaments.  We have reserved a room at the Catoosa County Library and are having so much fun. Finally, we will spend Thanksgiving in Jackson, MS with Mark’s sister and her husband Bob, who is recovering from heart surgery.  Grateful that the surgery is a success and that he is on the mend and very excited we are coming to visit. A wood fire buring, a new puppy jumping on our laps, rocking on the front porch under a warm blanket and telling old stories. I love November!20160402_093616

I end with a quote from Miester Eckhart: “If the only prayer you say in your entire life is, ‘Thank You,’ that would suffice.”

THANK YOU

Advertisement

Service Is Joy

23 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by prisnasonshartle in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Autism, Centre for Adult Autism, Chattanooga Autism Center, service

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.

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • May 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • June 2016
  • February 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • May 2013
  • January 2013
  • November 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011

Categories

  • 100-calorie snacks
  • A New Year Plan
  • Aging
  • Bountiful Raised Garden
  • Clean Eating
  • Eating My Way Through a Trip
  • Finding Wholeness
  • Follow Your Bliss
  • Free to be Me
  • Go Green!
  • Good for the Soul
  • gratitude
  • Happy New Year
  • Healthy Attitude Toward Weight Loss
  • healthy website links
  • high cholesterol
  • Keeping Your Mind Alert
  • Making Wise Choices
  • Mindfulness
  • My Leafy Garden
  • Omega -3 pills
  • Pattern of Perfect Life
  • Saying Good-bye
  • Spreading Cheer
  • Standing in Faith
  • Staying Strong
  • Taking the first step to a healthy life
  • Tempting Foods
  • The Winter Solstice
  • Uncategorized
  • Your Unique Self

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • hearthealthyboomer
    • Join 36 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • hearthealthyboomer
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...