Having a son with ADHD has brought a lot of awareness
to this cause for my family. It took us years before we finally gave in to the label, but honestly we are now traveling down much happier trails. With support
and knowledge and sometimes medication, life can get much easier.

Our extremely bright son has a great memory, but has short-term memory problems daily.  His organizational skills are a huge struggle, yet he can remember details with facts in no time.  His tic sounds, coughing and movements are questioned by many and varying in degree day to day.  These are difficult for others to understand at times, but we’ve been told he will outgrow these in a few years.

Many times it is very difficult for others to understand what a child with ADHD is going through and what the parents and family deal with every day.  The simplest of requests can turn into a number of guiding yet ultimately exhausting requests to get one thing done.  As parents, we learn that our child may need more time to walk away from a task that he is engaged in, or that he may get more frustrated when he doesn’t think he’s being heard. We’ve learned and we are still learning how to deal with the emotions of our son.

It’s never
normal at our house, whatever that is, but as my cousin says, we have a drummer that marches
to the beat of his own drum and we embrace that beat every day with much
love.

In the holiday season, always important to remember those less fortunate.

We
are so lucky in Washtenaw County to have such a place as Food Gathers. This
organization gathers food from area stores and restaurants to give to those in
need. Food that may have been wasted if it were not for Food Gathers picking it
up and redistributing it. I worked with FG through another non-profit
organization for years, where I learned the work that they and their volunteers
do is just amazing. If you have the chance to go to 1 Carrot Lane, you should
take your family and ask them how you can help. You will never forget your
experience.

A timely charity for emergency disaster relief for the superstorm Sandy victims
What
they are doing today:
http://teamrubiconusa.org/update-operation-greased-lightning/
Team
Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with medical
professionals to rapidly deploy emergency response teams into crisis
situations.
To donate go to: http://teamrubiconusa.org/donate/

Every month on the site we will highlight a charity that is dear to my heart on many levels, either
personally or because I know of someone who is dealing with a difficult
situation, an illness, or a disaster. Also, because I care. I care about
people and animals and I truly want to help in any way that I can to make
life better for them. At times we all need help. Maybe it’s difficult to ask
for it or maybe we don’t know how or can’t, but we can all stand up and reach
out a helping hand in whatever way works for us. Again, thank you for reading
and considering to help someone in need.


HELPING ANIMALS:

Since
1998 I have supported the HVHS in Washtenaw County. We found our first kitten
there, tiny body with these tall ears and a pewter colored nose. She captured
our hearts at first sight. Tabitha, who is now into her teenage people years,
has been through everything in our home. From bringing home a new baby, to a 5
year old rescued dog, to a kitten (which came from HVHS too). She is now very
content laying on our bed all day, soaking up the sun. Her knees and teeth are
giving out on her, which causes her to cry out when we pick her up. Because of
this, she has obtained the nickname of “Cranky”…but we love our old girl very
much. The work that they do at HVHS is wonderful. They are a no kill facility
and will do everything to find a home or rescue shelter for every animal that
comes to them. If you are in the area, you should walk through their wonderful
facility. Who knows, maybe you will find your perfect family member!