When pets, bracelets, and autism come together, good things happen. In today’s post, guest blogger Heather Braucher explains how her family experienced the convergence of those three things in a truly remarkable and faith-building way.
My kids have been asking for pets of their own.
My daughter’s argument was that she wanted something that was just hers, specifically a cute little hamster she could bond with. She is the older sister to two brothers with “extra” needs, which brings with it a level of hardship beyond the challenge of having two younger brothers.
Her youngest brother’s argument for getting a pet was, “If I had a pet, I would never be bored.”
My middle son really wasn’t interested in anything except getting a dog. If it wasn’t a dog, the idea of a pet didn’t really grab him.
We originally set out to get a dog for therapeutic support purposes. We applied with an organization and had made it through two interviews before we were denied. The reasoning—“For the safety of the dogs.”
That was a tough one to hear. I thought my boys, one on the spectrum and the other with hearing loss, could benefit from a therapy dog in social and safety situations, but this organization felt that the ages, needs, and behaviors of my boys would put their dogs in danger.
Humbling, to say the least.
We decided to get a dog with hopes of getting it trained. Little did we know, Josie, our dear goldendoodle, would come with her own “extra” needs. There were many sweet moments with Josie, but it became apparent that our youngest son’s unpredictable behaviors were causing her increased anxiety. Then we discovered she had multiple digestive issues and early signs of hip dysplasia. Her needs and the medical expenses for both her and the kids were too great for us. She’s been re-homed with an incredible family and is thriving, but we miss her.
Getting a pet is not as easy as it sounds.
When my sweet daughter, my firstborn, has an idea, it does not die easily. She fans that flame. She not only wrote us a research paper explaining everything she learned about hamsters, but also presented the ways that she would care for her hamster. She created a summer reading challenge with the reward being—getting a hamster. She raised money over the summer to cover as many of the hamster’s costs as she could. She hoped we would cover the difference, because she had completed the reading challenge.
She set out to sell lemonade, provide pet-sitting services, and even sell homemade jewelry.
As the summer approached its end, she was anxious that she had not gotten a hamster yet. In one last effort she said, I’m going to make a stand and sell my handmade loom bracelets for a dollar each.
I helped make a poster, baked cookies to sweeten the deal, and a set up a bracelet sale stand to support my daughter—multiple times since we kept getting rain. I was frustrated. This was not how I wanted to spend my day. I felt uncertain about the “pets”—she had gotten her brothers into it too—we were getting after the sale.
The most amazing thing happened while we were setting the stand up in our garage since the rain would not let up. A man walked up and asked, “How many can you make for twenty dollars?” He said he would be back with the cash and they could try to make as many as they could. They were so excited and got right to work!
But the story gets better!
When he returned, he upped the ante. He said, “Actually, I would like to ask you if you could make 150 bracelets.” He shared that he runs a non-profit organization called Hope on the Spectrum, and his annual golf tournament fundraiser was approaching. He wanted the bracelets to be made with the colors that represent autism to give them out at the event.
As my daughter and my son, who is on the spectrum, listened, their jaws dropped.
The man shared his personal experiences with his son with autism. Because of early intervention and support, his son is thriving in high school against all predictions. He created his organization because of his passion to support others.
I could see it in the eyes of my children.
Their bracelet stand had turned into something bigger than raising money for their pets. That something was very relative to both my daughter and my son’s lives in different ways.
I will never forget that look, the days they dedicated to making bracelets to support other families with children on the spectrum, and the feelings I experienced.
We are seen.
Our lives and the struggles we navigate are not lost.
They matter.
Nothing is wasted.
God is going to use them for the good of others and His Glory.
We are now the proud owners of a hamster, a gerbil and a scooter—my middle son’s non-pet choice. They love their pets, and I think the pets are doing well too.
This verse speaks truth about the feeling we can experience when pets, bracelets, and autism come together.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
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Photo by Henry Lai on Unsplash
