How I Helped My Autistic Son and Myself Handle Our Recent Family Crisis -

Dear Friends,

I missed reaching out to you. But life interrupted me big time.

Whew! What a year. On September 28, 2022, the night before Trent’s St James Court Art Fair set up, Ralph my husband fell down our second floor staircase, was knocked unconscious, and rushed to the hospital by EMS. He had a stroke and instantly our lives took a U-Turn. Everything went into slow motion, survival mode. My next steps were focused on emotionally navigating 1) the small but important tasks my husband always took care of, 2) to guide Trent to emotionally adapt with support givers, 3) to spend precious time with Ralph at the hospital, communicate with doctors and medical staff to understand tests results and medical options for surgery and recovery. He was in the hospital and rehab for over 30 days and thereafter he needed care in out patient rehabilitation.

After living through this crisis for several months, I began to see a parallel of support from the Art of Interdependence (AI) model that I created to support Trent’s life, to have a life of his own. I had the knowledge within me which helped during the emotional stress. This moved me from crisis survival mode to resilience. I used each part of this AI model as a map to help support me so I could support Trent. A big part of the AI model was drawing in support from other people. Trent and I were fortunate to have extended family members, neighbors, my ultra dependable brother, and Trent’s support givers for Trent. I gained a perspective that led me which was truly life-giving. The Art of Positive Interdependent Model

Since then, Ralph has improved greatly and has been driving legally for 3 months. Because I was shaken to my core through all this, I wrote these 5 lines about what I learned through this life crisis event. You might find these helpful in your life abrupt changes.

When a life crisis hits: Look for the light.

When you are knocked down: stand up.

When you are numb and moving slowly: Be determined to keep going.

When you are uncertain: Look for clarity.

When you feel alone: reach out. Ask for help, support, and appreciate connection to others.

To read the complete story Our Family Resilience Story

On a Celebratory Note:

Trent will be exhibiting next weekend at Cherokee Triangle Art Fair in Louisville, KY. on April 29 and 30, booth #408. We hope you will come out to see Trent’s most stunning recent paintings.