I have my Grandmother’s clock next to my bed.  My Mom’s mom died over 18 years ago, but this digital clock still continues to be my faithful companion on my night stand.  My Grandma Palms loved clocks; she loved the different faces of the dials.  In her little condo you found clocks on the wall, on the bookshelves and even on top of her old record player.  If that wasn’t enough, she always had a watch on.  It was flipped over so the backside faced up and turned in so it rested on the inside of her wrist securely holding her Kleenex tissue.  I always loved that she did that.  When she passed away I took two clocks, the digital clock that was on her record player and an anniversary clock that was on her bookshelf by her front door, to remember her by.

I was looking at this digital clock amazed that it has been 18 years since she passed away.  At that time, I was expecting my firstborn and now he is entering his senior year in high school and all the excitement and changes it brings.  I can’t believe how fast time has gone by!  How can this be?

I remember when Sarah was first diagnosed with autism and over and over again we heard the importance of early intervention.  Specialists said the most gains we would see in Sarah would be before the age of 6.  After that age, while she could continue to improve with therapy, the gains would not be as significant as before.  For that reason, they stressed intense therapy at that early age.  We did and they were right.  Then I blinked and my six year old girl is now 15.  How can this be?

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  Psalm 90:12

Right now, I am not numbering my days as I should.  Summer is ending and just thinking about the back to school schedule is making me hyperventilate.  I am not ready for the busyness of fall and the many firsts and lasts of having a child graduate from high school will bring me.

In my Bible’s notes, it says that the word ‘gain’ could also be translated as ‘harvest’.   ‘…that we may harvest a heart of wisdom.’  A harvest is the end result of something that took time to mature, to grow.  It is the outcome of hard work and patience.  It is something that is treasured.  It is something that is celebrated.

Maybe that is why my Grandma had so many clocks; that she would be reminded of the importance of time!  This fall, I want to start cultivating my heart’s soil for my own harvest time.  I want the Lord to teach me what it means to not just “get by” or “survive” this season of my life, but to truly enjoy what this season brings.  I’m praying for Him to produce a bumper crop harvest of a heart of wisdom full of treasuring the days He gave me!

We truly thank you for praying for Sarah (and us!).  We are so deeply, deeply grateful!!

**September Praises and Prayer Requests found under the tab at the top of the page.  Bless you and thank you for praying!!

Sarah loves music. She sings more than she talks. In fact, as I type this she just sang a phrase from “High School Musical.” (This is interesting, since she hasn’t seen that movie in months.) I have used this to help her learn her address and phone number and it has worked. In fact, the whole family learned our phone number this way. Jack recently shared with me that when he was in kindergarten the teacher asked for his phone number. Without skipping a beat, Jack sang it back to her. He said the other kids looked at him and he thought, “What? Doesn’t everyone sing their phone number?”

Music reaches Sarah in ways words alone can’t. If she is happy a tune is bound to break forth. It is delightful to hear her sing and it can be quite comical when she sings the wrong words to songs.

Other times, music helps you see into her heart….

Sarah has amazing aides at church that allow us to attend the church service.  (One day I will write a blog about these amazing people! It brings me to tears with their selfless gift!) One aide, Joan, was watching Sarah on Wednesday night church. Knowing that Sarah loves music, she took Sarah into the sanctuary where the Praise band was practicing for the following Sunday’s service. She and Sarah sat together as they played, but she was taken back when she looked over to see tears streaming down Sarah’s cheeks.  Joan wondered what was wrong.  Sarah wasn’t upset; in fact, she was listening intently to what they were singing. When the chorus was sung again, she saw another tear trickle down Sarah’s cheek. Joan was so moved and she took out a piece of paper and wrote down the chorus to share with me.

The piece of paper read:

He knows my name
He knows my every thought,
He sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call.

(“I have a Maker” (He knows My Name) by Paul Baloche)

Psalm 56:8, “You keep track of all my sorrows.
    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book.”  (The New Living Translation)

If you know me, you know I cry. Autism has certainly made my heart a tender mush which actually is a good thing and I am thankful to Him for it.  I tease, though, that when I read this verse that He must have a pretty big bottle with my name on it!  It is not a bottle; it is more like a vat! 🙂  I’m thankful that even with autism; Sarah knows this truth, too.  The Lord knows our Sarah and each tear she cries. He knows what she is thinking when we don’t have a clue. His eye is always on her and He hears her (and me) when we call out to Him.  That is music to my ears!

**August Praise and Prayer Requests can be found under the Praise/Prayer tab at the top of the blog–thank you for praying!!