given much

as most of you know my husband and i are houseparents. we care for 7 girls right now who need a place to live for a variety of reasons. i kinda think it is a bit ironic that i'm being a care-taker for girls when someone else is a care-taker for brooke (different reasons of course). yes, there are some days that this fact is hard for me to swallow especially when 1/2 of the girls i care for are brooke's age right now. i look at them sometimes as the girls play w/josiah and ethan (our boys) and wonder what if autism never would have "hit" our home. somedays, well most days, i hate autism.
we, as her parents, have been given a wonderful gift thru autism, so i can't really hate it that much...we've been given new ways to see things, patience, unconditional love, persistence, the gift of others, passion, the little things, wisdom, gentle smiles and soft hugs, a look into her eyes that dare you to dream and hope, and an extreme responsibility to speak on her behalf when she cannot do it herself. brooke, you will always have me and your daddy....and you will always have 2 little guys that will bend over backwards for you and you don't even have to say the word!