Thursday, May 6, 2010

House Rules and Asperger's



It's been a crazy few months around here for varying reasons. I saw a fondly held dream of mine unfold right before my eyes (& ears) last week with about 75 others, holed up in the great acoustic chamber of a church to record 19 songs for a new CD recording
accompanied by more than a dozen very gifted musicians!
Talk about surround sound.
The experience was both amazing & exhausting.
Two grueling recording sessions culminated in a
Grand Finale Concert
on the Friday evening of last week.
I am consistently plagued by euphoric terror as we approach these events but the response of a truly wonderful audience set me so much at ease, I quite frankly had the time of my life!
The spirit of our theme: Ephesians 5: 19,20 went ringing loud and clear that night -
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I did however, need to stay in house and jammie-clad for at least three days afterward
for a time of recovery. The fact is, a whole week later I'm still chillin'....
I've been listening to HOURS of unedited audio and am regularly stirred to tears. First for the sheer joy of what I am hearing and then .... how do I say this? I feel almost embarrassed to realize how slavishly everyone worked to bring to this project, the caliber it owns.
*******
And I've treated myself to reading again.
Silence too, can be sublime.
A thoughtful family member gifted me with a hard cover copy of Picoult's newest work of fiction with a firm suggestion to put my feet up and rest awhile with it which is precisely what I've done. The couch, outside Muskoka chair, and a high back library lounger have never seen so much of me -- to the utter abandonment of any so called house rules around this place.....
There's a haphazardness around here that must be (and beloved? it will be) addressed but first....
..... the disconnect that sadly developed with my little grandpeeps due to my hectic schedule could only be restored with a minimum two night sleep-over.
Hence, the delightful haphazardness continues to reign supreme for a wee bit longer.
And doesn't the DVD player dare to malfunction at this critical juncture?
Little Einsteins & Fifi and the Flowertots by laptop it is.
Naps? Whatever. When a thumb will do nicely??
Yes, I know the temperature is dropping as we speak but I heated the water....
Och....my little leapster, it's so good to be snuggling with you again.
Lazing around, drinking.
The book I just finished was fascinating for subject matter it tackled - the fairly recent phenomena of Asperger's Syndrome - the rise of it's appearance and effect on interpersonal relationships.
Do you have any Aspie's in your life? Could you be one yourself?
House Rules is fictional but the subject matter is most definitely not.
Sadly, the author employs enough raunch and expletives to make a drunken sailor sit up and take notice - *sigh*
...so I'd recommend a search engine to tap into the glut of information now available to those who know of, care for and love an Aspie.
The story and arduous work by Craig.Kendall@AspergersSociety.org for the love of his son and family is decidedly non-fictional and very much worth a serious look.
From his site:
Asperger’s Syndrome was first defined by Dr. Hans Asperger in 1944, when he identified symptoms that included a lack of empathy, an inability to form friendships, one-sided conversation, intense absorption in a special interest, and clumsy motor skills in a study of boys who were autistic. Prior to this, autism was thought to be a symptom of schizophrenia. But Dr. Asperger felt that these “little professors” – as he called them – could contribute to community. A lot of Dr. Asperger’s work was lost in a bomb attack during World War II and his findings weren’t translated into English until after his death in 1980.
It wasn’t until the 1990s that his findings gained acceptance, and that Asperger’s syndrome became a diagnosis for high-functioning autistics worldwide.
*******
The 2pm yawning stretch has struck with a vengeance and the three musketeers are tucked away in their beds with an armful of books apiece to enjoy some 'quiet time' -- code for:
yer grandma needs a nap :)
Talk to you again soon.