The HEART...

The Start of the Heart

September 10, 2014

The start of the heart is where it’s at.. The other day I quickly, and by quickly I mean in 30 seconds, made a heart graphic for a dear friend online. This friend is battling cancer, Chron’s disease and heart failure as well. NOT only that…BUT she has kicked cancer’s butt before – but wait, she was also in Hospice, for a very, very long time. She has been through Chemo and hospitalizations. She almost died before, YET she is still standing. The doctors tell her that she is dying again…Doctors are human, like you and I’ they can be wrong. right? Yes, they can. She did it before, she can do it again. Let us fill her bucket with so much hope and support that it will never run out.
Needless to say her plate is full. It is only natural to show her how much she is loved and to let her know that we all have her back.  But before this, another dear friend of mine, Lori, came up with the hashtag #teamrachele. This is to show everyone, especially our friend Rachele, that we are on her team and that we support her wholeheartedly. We use that hashtag to send her pics, memes, quotes and anything that we can to lift her spirits. We have to let her know that she is special. We met her through the autism community online. Many of us involved in this outpouring of support have children on the autism spectrum. Each and everyday, our friendships evolve and we get to know one another on a deeper, personal level and I am so blessed that our friend Rachele is here and sharing her journey with us all. She really is an amazing person who has unwavering strength. She can teach people a thing or two. She rocks and that is only part of the reason why we love her and she has our full support.
Now, on Facebook, there are at least 30 of us using the heart as our profile, group and cover photo pics. It is amazing and awesome to see the fantastic support that she really needs. To many, it is just another cute graphic; to us, it is the Love, support and coming together of friends. And, yes, this is real life. It is the start of the heart…
Messages of Hope for Rachele:
Love, your community of “sisters” and friends…. xxoo
Rachele, you are a strong woman, keep on fighting. Love you #teamrachele – Shari
Rachele. Wow. Words fail me. You are amazing. The love and care you give to those around you when it seems like your life is falling apart astounds me. You are my friend and I’m pushing AND pulling for you. Always. ((HUGS)) –  Jenn
Rachele, I admire your strength and willpower! You are an amazing and beautiful woman, inside and out!- Kimberly

Rachele you are an inspiration of love , strength , determination ,and yes hope. I love you Rachele and the way you keep cheering even when it is hard to breathe. Love hugs and prayers always. Nyla

 

Rachele, I just ‘met’ u and I already love u! U are amazing…such an inspiration to me…if u can go thru the things that u have, and still are..then I can surely overcome my measly problems!! Never Give Up!! Hugs to u and much love!! – Amy T.

 

My Dearest Rachele I admire your strength and courage. You really are a ray of sunshine. Never give up and never lose hope. You are my inspiration, love you bunches!!! – Amy L.

 

You’ve got an army of beautiful ladies here that are going to be fighting this fight with you!! We love you Rachele, don’t EVER forget that!! GO #teamrachele – Dusti

 

Your strength is SO admirable and you have to know that you are truly special if all these Mamas are rallied around you…take our strength and use it whenever you need it, honey…prayers sent up…xo – Krista

 

Rachel I know what you are going through and just look at all the love and prayers you have on your side. When you have such a beautiful team of supporters anything is possible. So keep your chin up, lean on us and take one day at a time. Love ya – Maureen

 

Rachele, doctors have been wrong before and will be again! Let our hearts and love help you to strengthen yours! We are in this to win it! Love ya! – Christy

 

Remarkable,Awesome,Caring,Heroic,Enduring,Loving,Everlasting,-Rachele you are all these things and more. #teamrachele – Bobbi

 

“Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.” (Emory Austin) You, my friend, are a singer. oxox, Becca

 

Dearest Rachele you had the courage and strength to kick cancers a$$ before. My thoughts are always with you willing you to become the warrior you were before. I believe you can put on your armor of courage, hope, strength, love and determination and defeat these diseases. You are surrounded by a sisterhood of warriors #teamrachele! You’ve got this! We’ve got this! Much love and respect…..Denice

Rachele, You are stronger than you think, I know this fight is hard, but you and your family are worth the fight. You inspire so many and you have cheated death before and I am sure you are strong enough to do it again! Look at all the people who are out here supporting you. We all think you can do this, that you are strong, brilliant, amazing and a true inspiration. You are beautiful inside and out! Fight the fight and when you need us we are here. – Dawn

 

Rachele, I admire your strength, your courage and your ability to find joy in the face of such adversity. Praying for you ~ Billie

 

Rachele, even though we are just getting to know each other in FB land I am in awe of your spirit and sense of humor in the face of such difficulties. I am on your side all the way, keep fighting, we are here with you. – Terry

 

Rachele for all you are enduring you still have kept a sense of humor and a light in your soul. You are an inspiration!! – Valerie

 

 Rachele, I admire your strength. I admire your courage. I admire your positive outlook. When most others cry, you laugh. When most others are angry, you are happy. When most others are giving up, you are continuing your fight. You are a beautiful person both inside and out, and I am glad that we are friends!- Julie

 

Sending you love & prayers, from Susie (-:

 

Rachele I so admire your strength and tenacity. You find a way to find humor in everything. Please know that there are many of us praying for you. Cate L.

 

Rachele, I admire your strength. You are a true warrior. You have our love and support. Please know we are praying for you. Hugs, Lisa. #teamrachele – Lisa

 

Rachele, words escape me because my heart feels for you what words cannot express. You are one of the strongest and most determined of anyone I’ve ever known. You can conquer anything you set out to do. Love you, mama #teamRachele – April

 

You Rock!!! You got this!!! You are strong, amazing and this world needs you, Your family needs you. You are not going anywhere <3 xxoo Dany (me : ) )

UBUNTU – WE are all in this together!!!!

 

– Michelle

 

Rachele’s blog post is : http://mypuzzlingpiece.com/2014/09/05/so-im-dying-again-warning-this-post-is-not-autism-related-more-of-a-heads-up/

Please read.

Thank you.

(To Be Continued…)

One Word

The UNI-VERSE

Posted on August 16, 2014 by danyloor

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The Universe. The Uni-Verse, the “One Word” – Uni- Verse. It is magnificent and amazing. We are in the universe and the universe is within us. The universe always was and always will be. The universe responds to the nature of our being. The universe is impeccable. It is far more than what we see with our eyes. It is about what we feel. The universe gives us all that we need and desire. The universe listens to us even when we do not speak. The universe is for us. It is only “one word” – God.  All that has been, all that is and all that will ever be. The universe s powerful and flawless. The universe was made for us and we were made for the universe. The universe gave me my son. Thank You God. My beautiful, autistic son. A gift from the universe, a true treasure. The universe did not just give me my son because I could handle it but the universe gave me my son so I could learn about life. The universe’s gift to me is one to share with all. To teach that autism is a blessing in disguise. To live to embrace differences. Autism is not a bad word. Autism is a uniqueness – a view from the indigo side. When we are ready, we learn.The universe listened to me even when I did not say a word. The universe if perfect. To show me that autism is a super ability. To answer questions that were only in my heart. Blessings of abundance, the universe will never run out. There is enough for all of us.
I thought I would have to teach my son about the world but it turns out to be that I have to teach the world about my son. My indigo. My blessing and gift from the universe. Never questioning, the universe put peace in my heart long before my son could speak, I never asked why but God knew, I just needed to hear my son’s voice. He knew, and the universe gave it to me. Prayers of thanks and an attitude of gratitude because as I always say Believing IS Seeing and not the other way around. In order to see you must believe. Faith. Whatever we put in, we get out, ten fold. To me,there are only two speeds in life – give BACK and pay it FORWARD. How can I not when the universe has given me so much. Before my son could speak, he was able to communicate, in his own way – but he did. He was able to read. I thanked God everyday that my son has eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to LOVE. It is not just about the law of attraction, it is about knowing that the universe is on our side – to make us realize that their are blessings all around us and some are just wrapped up waiting to be discovered. Autism is a gift because the universe allowed me to see it as a super ability and all the right people were put in our pathway to help us along the journey- teachers, doctors, therapists. Autism was put in our lives to meet people, educate, help families, share stories, vent and to know we are not alone. We are never alone. And, there it was my son was reaching milestones and began to excel. Never, ever give up. NEVER. Give anything but up. We have all the tools. The universe equips us. So, yes when I learned my son had autism, I cried, I felt weak – but the universe gave me strength. Even more so because my son needs me. Then we looked at autism from a different point of view- the better side. Autism does not need a cure but understanding, entrancement and a positive light. Why does a child who is happy and is capable of all things- because nothing is impossible for the universe- need a cure? LOVE is the answer. You put out LOVE you will get LOVE.  And when we have those “autism” days, remember that it does not rain forever and the universe needs water so flowers can grow. Thank You God <3

NAMASTE
xxoo
Dany

My Boy: Part 77

Today JJ went to the trampoline park. He was anxious and getting desperate upon arrival because we had to wait. He starting acting up. He was also hitting himself. He was very impatient. It was time to go in. Again, frustrated because he had to wait on line. Frustrated because he had to wait in each additional section. We got through that. A nice guy let us jump the line in one part. I guess he saw Jorge's behaviors and felt bad for him. Anyhow we got to the open trampolines. He loved it. That's until someone else jumped with him. He did not like that so he would growl and hiss at them. So time went on. He was jumping and enjoying now and was happy because he ran out to tell me he loves me. He went back to jumping and playing. Then a little girl came up to me to tell me Jorge keeps following her. I just smiled and looked out for Jorge. A while later a boy came to tell me Jorge was following him and I just replied, be is a small kid and not doing anything wrong. OK eyes back on JJ. A few minutes later the same little girl tells me again that JJ keeps following her and her brother and they don't like it. Well I proceeded to tell her that he's small and not doing anything wrong. I asked if he was hitting and he was not doing anything like that. So as she was walking away, I called her back and she came. I said that Jorge doesn't mean to be doing that and he has something called autism. She said OK and left to get her brother. She was telling her brother what I said then I heard her say let's go somewhere else. Now I'm not sure she knew what autism is but maybe she did. Not sure. I was going to explain it to her in simple terms. But maybe I didn't get the chance to cause maybe I just didn't have to. It could've been her brother had autism too, who knows. Maybe. There were three parents there with children on the spectrum. An autism mommy can just sense these things sometimes. I just looked at one handsome boy and said to myself he has autism. I wasn't judging but naturally observing. Anyhow come to find out I saw him walk by with an autism shirt on. Anyway it was nice to see other autism mommies even though I didn't interact with them. After all that JJ had a decent time and actually wanted to leave early. On the way home he asked a ton of questions, non stop. Mostly about exotic animals. We got home, the questions continued. Oh, get this, he found a piece of wood in the driveway because my husband is working on something. He proceeds to examine the wood closely. It was about a little smaller than a brick. He called it a driftwood brick. He examined it more and he then told me the wood is seven years old. He counted the rings on the edge as if it was a tree trunk. Indeed, it did have seven. I was impressed. Not sure where he got that from. But I thought it was super cool.
I'd love to hear from you. Drop us a comment.



Thank you
Dany xxoo

You Got Jokes, Huh???

“What is a moon’s favorite day, Mommy?”..hmm..”IT’s MOONday :). Love it!1 Absolutely love it. It really amazed me. He told me this joke, on his own, out of the blue sitting at the kitchen table. I cracked up, he cracked up. I was thoroughly impressed.Then he proceeded to tell me that the sun’s favorite day is SUNday. Each time something like this occurs, I revel over the achievements that he is making continuously and that he has been making over he years since being diagnosed with autism when he was three.Going from saying 6 words, to being nonverbal until the age of 4 and some change or so, now to completely blowing my mind with the vocabulary that he has. He is a little sponge and I feel that autism is his fuel to keep going, becoming stronger and he, too can make a difference in someone’s life because for my husband and myself; he surely has made quite the grand difference for sure. Autism will never hold him back. He is a child, first. Autism is secondary. My indigo <3. I do not want to change him but I do want to change how the world sees him. He is valuable, in fact he is priceless and has so much to offer. I am proud of my son Jorge Juan (J.lo.)

A Little Bit...

My Boy: Part 70

Posted on June 19, 2014 by danyloor

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“Is there school today, Mommy?” Yes, there is!!! Rainy day, but there is school today. Only a few days left, so enjoy the last days of Kindergarten. It just seems like yesterday that he started Kindergarten at a new school and with a school bus. This school year has gone by so fast. It was a great year and my son has been blessed with great teachers, therapists and principal. The team really works together for the benefit of Jorge Juan. They know him very well. What they have to say at the PPT meeting is right on. I just sit back and smile because I know that they pay close attention to my son giving what they have to say about his personality, characteristics, obsessions etc.

A quick rundown – Jorge is 5 years old and will turn 6 on July 21st. He was diagnosed with autism after his 3rd birthday. At that time, he was in the middle of the spectrum – Non verbal among other delays. He loves animals, insects and tiny toys. He has been reading since before he could speak and now is reading well beyond the benchmarks fro Kinder. He is kind and lovable. He loves babies and kids. He is an orange belt in Tiny Tiger Tang Soo Do karate. He loves nature. He flaps and shakes his hands when he is excited but not as often as he use to do when he was younger. He used to run back and forth humming super loud. He loves books and riding the school bus. That is just part of him in a small nutshell. there is so much beyond this. SO MUCH : )

Autism will never stop him. He is on a roll. He is improving all the time. His autism does not need a CURE. Who would want to cure a child that is full of LOVE, happiness, affection, peace…..and has so much to TEACH the world? Jorge Juan just may be the CURE for the typical world. 

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You HAVE to Read This!!!

My Boy: The Story Continues..

Posted on May 28, 2014 by danyloor

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Meeting with the social worker today went well.

Jorge has been displaying odd behaviors of hissing, sucking his arm, putting hand sin his mouth and other oral fixations; so this was a great opportunity to have a chat and ask questions.

I have my undergrad degree in Child Studies, it can be difficult to come up with solutions that may help my son. I do not know what it is. I think that happens with a lot of us. I can remember at times it was easier for me to deal with 22 4 and 5 year olds than to handle the meltdowns of my son while dropping him off at pre kindergrten. (He was in the classroom upstairs and the classroom where I taught was directly under his at that time.)The meeting was something that happens before a child turns 6 years old. It is to see if the child would still be available for the services at school. This is different from an IEP meeting. Our IEP meeting with his teachers, therapists etc is coming up in 2 weeks. Today it was just with the social worker to discus all aspects of Jorge’s life from birth until now and focusing on his diagnosis of Autism. It was also a family history for me and my husband. The two of us were at the meeting.It went really well. I enjoy having the opportunity to speak about our son – his achievements and progressions but more so what it took to get to where he is today. It is about the journey. I am fascinated with my son’s journey, essentially it is our family’s journey but he owns it. We are all in this together. The time flew by while we were at the school. It was enjoyable. We are very happy and blessed that our son is in a great school that provides services that benefit him. This is what happened because we did not give up. We did not settle on his education. We kept pushing and going forward, stopping at nothing to ensure our son would thrive instead of dive. We took matters into our own hands and were lead by faith. It paid off as it always does. It inspires me to help other families and give them hope; to let them know that autism is not a life sentence. I want to reach out to parents with children on the spectrum, to share stories, give advice and to lend a hand on an ongoing journey. As much as I love writing about my son’s journey, I have the passion to instill peace and hope into others that may be all new to this autism thing among others who may have lost hope along the way. never, ever give up. Always give everything, but up.

As you are here for me, I am here for you.

UBUNTU

Dany Loor BSCS, M.Ed.

Never stop learning:Never stop teaching. That is my motto.

Come Find Me...

Ways to Connect – My P.L.E.

http://www.facebook.com/loorducation
Come and see what is going on here. This is my Facebook Fan page dedicated to education, especially early childhood education. It is a place where I share many ideas on projects,arts and crafts, hand crafted games,teaching children, autism awareness and lessons among other things that are related to education. I share from other educational pages and I also put up pictures with descriptive details to give others ideas.

http://www.twitter.com/loorducatiom
It is a great place to connect with others in the field of education and other professionals that you can collaborate with and share experiences and ideas with. Quick and easy way to get your ideas out there and seen by others too. Come by today and follow. Lots of cool things and my posts from Facebook get automatically shared to Twitter. I have met many great teachers in my field and we have shared ideas.

http://www.pinterest.com/loorducation
Loorducation is on Pinterest. A fun, easy and organized way that we share our photos, links, quotes, pics and more. Activities, lessons, arts and crafts, organization and beyond. So many valuable things that I have learned and gotten ideas from that will enhance my teaching and more. It is super fun. Look for me there.

http://www.instagram.com/loorducation
Loorducation is on Instagram. It is a fun way to share pics and quotes and give them a different look using the many different filters. I like making my original photos look totally different and sharing them. It adds uniqueness and details.Like a digital photo album. I posts pics of many things that I create and of children being engaged and learning and playing too.

Look at This!!! (*Prequel to previous post)

Autism – A Super Ability

http://loorducation.wordpress.com/category/jorge-juan/

Jorge Loves to read. At only five years old, he is reading well beyond his years. He just found out that I am writing some blog posts about him. I told him and he was so excited. He says that he is on the internet now.It is really special for him. If you would like to send a note, card or letter to Jorge, it would be greatly appreciated. He is able to read it all by himself. Anyone that would like to send something for Jorge to read can contact me through here orhttp://www.facebook.com/loorducation or danielle@garagepcs.com and I will give you the address. It is exciting to think of how excited he would be to get something in the mail. Whatever he receives, we will take a picture and post it. Of course we will be sending shout outs Thank You’s!!!

Hey YOU..read this, k? Thank you!!!

An Autism Journey…

Posted on May 20, 2014 by danyloor

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Hello everyone!!! I have been writing about my son and his autism journey from last September. My blog posts have sparked a fire in my heart to write a book on it all- from the very beginning until now. I would love to get it published. I would love to share our story in hopes to inspire others as well as educate.I want to let others out there know that autism in not a life sentence or a disability. I want to let others know that there is hope. Autism is a spectrum and no two on it are the same. I want to let others know to believe and keep the faith when things are tough. I want to let others know that our children need us and we must be their biggest fan, supporter and advocate. I am gathering information, researching and beginning to take off with this plan. Let me know if I have your support. It is very much needed and appreciated. Thank you all for reading. I appreciate comments/suggestions.

Dany Loor BSCS, M.Ed

Awww...right?

I picked Jorge Juan up early from school yesterday because he was not feeling well. He ended up having a fever, therefore staying home from school today. Despite being sick, Jorge Juan was very pleasant and in a great mood, as usual or even more so. I was very impressed with that behavior.

It was report card conference yesterday so my husband went to the school while I stayed home. He has improved in school and is doing very well.. He is reaching goals and achieving many great things. His report card was very good and his effort marks have improved as well. The one thing that the teacher told my husband was that Jorge Juan throws himself on the floor almost every morning when the principal goes into the classroom to say hello and greet the kids. Yes, he throws himself on the floor and spreads out his arms and legs. Well, we asked Jorge about this yesterday and he told us he used to do that only because he was little but he will not do that anymore because he is a big boy now. OK, we will take that. At home he really doe snot throw himself on the floor but once in a while at karate he will throw himself on the floor after he kicks really hard: he thinks it is funny I guess. But we all tell him not to do that. Also he has been sucking his thumb and putting his fingers in his mouth lately. A lot. In karate an d at home and yes, they told my husband that it happens in school too. We gotta figure out some kind of way to get him to stop. I am thinking it is  a learned behavior from a peer but Jorge Jorge said no one in his class does that, but you never know.

So, he is feeling better today. Still warm but way better than last night. He kept asking if his friends would miss him and he kept saying that he was sick. When he was praying before sleep he just asked God to make him feel better..(insert AWWW, right? I know : )

So today, he has been chilling, reading his books, playing a bit but mostly taking it slow and staying clear of the TV.

Meet Jorge Juan

This was my FaceBook status a few days ago (NOW about 8 months ago)....2 years ago, the neurologist placed my son in the middle of the autism spectrum and yesterday, the same neurologist, said if he did not know any better he would say that my son does not have ASD as his symptoms are going away....I received 30 likes and over 20 comments on this. I am so grateful that people took the time out to say some nice encouraging words for my son. It means a lot and is very much appreciated. For everyone that wished us well, a few seconds out of your day sending words of encouragement gives people more hope. We realize that we are all in this together.
My son was diagnosed with autism on August 9, 2011. This was a few weeks after his third birthday. He was going in for his yearly check up but this time I just knew something....You see, at the time I was taking my Teaching the Exceptional Child course for my B.S. and we were focusing on Autism Spectrum Disorders. As I was learning the signs and symptoms I realized that my son was a match for nearly all of them. He was not talking. He may have said a few words here and there but that was it. He would have to hold onto toys and would get anxiety if one happened to fall out of his hands. He was afraid of loud noises and would cover his ears. Actually, my husband and I used to think he was deaf because he would not respond to us calling his name. I would literally scream out his name and he would not even budge. He would line up toys and other objects...I thought this was so cute being this was our first child and we just had no idea. He would play with toys but in some sort of way that did not seem natural, but yet again I just thought that was okay. He never really waved bye bye and when he did he would have his hands towards himself, as if he was saying bye bye to himself. I loved that so much, my baby saying bye bye. I did not know but as I was studying, I gained the knowledge I needed to bring my questions and diagnosis to the doctor.
Oh yeah, this too - he would run back and forth and would not stop, at the same time he was flapping his hands. I still did not know but all of this was coming back to me when I was studying ASD and it triggered my memory. I love my son so much and everyone would ask why he did not talk and that he should be talking and I just thought it is because he is bilingual and it just takes longer for children with two languages to process the information. In the back of my mind I would ask myself why isn't my son talking. Here I see children younger than he is talking in complete sentences. That is my baby boy and I love him, he will talk.
So my son is not talking yet and when he wants something he will just point- only sometimes. Usually, he would just grab my hand and utter some sounds as I would see what he needed. Usually it was a snack, kids love snacks and boy did I know he wanted that cookie because that smile was worth a thousand words even though he could not tell me. He would grasp little things and hold onto them with intensity. I just looked at him in awe. I love my son and look how engrossed he is with a tiny button, pen cap, a part to a toy- whatever it was, no matter how tiny, he was focused and wanted it. He had to hold it. That thing needed to be in his hands and if he lost it, he would have anxiety that was until we could find it again..So, he was not hitting benchmarks and he could not hold a fork or spoon properly to feed himself but that is my son and I so love him. By the way, he said birthday cake after seeing a decoration at his party, I was amazed. That cute little pause between those words..amazing. I felt so proud of my boy. He would hum really loudly for more than 30 seconds at a time sometimes and he would run and spin in circles. He was not afraid of danger or falling.Going back to August 9, 2011, my father in law and I brought him to the doctor and that is when......(please stay tuned for part 2..Ok so let me say this,

Or..If you are JUST seeing this HERE for the FIRST time
Visit www.loorducation.wordpress.com
Where we are well on our way with Jorge's Autism Journey

Enjoy,
Danielle Loor -M.Ed

My Boy: Part 39

So..this dream that Jorge Juan had the other night, I wish to share with you now. If you read the previous post, (My Boy:Part 38) you know that Jorge had a very vivid dream in which he explained in descriptive details. (If you did not have the chance to read part 38, please do so before continuing to read this.

Okay, so this dream was explained to me the other morning before school. Jorge Juan started talking to me as he was eating. He proceeded to tell me about this awesome dream. Keep in mind that he is 5 years old and on the Autism Spectrum, which most, if not all of you may know. You can find out more about Autism by asking me any questions you may have, any concerns or anything else that will help you to have a better understanding of Autism.

So this is Jorge talking....I was at the Tiger Mart, the one at Mobil, you know. I was there and a kangaroo was kicking and punching my back. This kangaroo was red. So he was kicking me and I was hitting him back. Then I looked in the street and there were a hundred, no a thousand kangaroos. They were all blue. They were in the street waiting. They were nice. The blue ones were nice kangaroos because they were not hitting me. A big kangaroo was kicking my back and  hitting me I was kicking back the re kangaroo. So I was there at the Tiger Mart and was hitting the red kangaroo back. You and Daddy were there too. There were a thousand kangaroos in the road and I was stopping them.

What an amazing, fun time. This is awesome. Just to think that he was non verbal up until he was about 3.5 years old. Keep on going. Never give up. Faith, love and dedication. Autism is his super power.

Brand new awesome playground at Seaside. This is one of the 26 playgrounds built in memory of the little angels from.Sandy Hook. This playground is not only beautiful but has a super special message. It honors a little girl and supports autism awareness. Proud to say this is in Bridgeport. My city.

Puzzle pieces everywhere..awesome.