My inspiration: My dad, my son and autism

I have been wondering what my first post entry on this blog would lead to and I am starting to realize the magnitude of it all. What started innocently as an exercise in self expression by writing things that were  joyous, painful and very real to me has developed into other ventures which include pages on facebook that cater to Autism and feature my blog entries and a website I created. I am proud to say that my writings have received some attention and have been read by many on facebook. I am happy to have an audience that can relate to what I have to write about and I am very grateful for the positive feedback. I even have some followers here on blogspot reading my blog which is nice to know. I have been writing for over a year now and I am grateful to blogspot for giving me this opportunity to write and share my feelings that are personal and heartfelt.

The reason I started to write this blog initially was to help me cope with the sad and tragic death of my dad which was unexpected and ruled a suicide at our local train station. I had always looked up to my dad and I miss him everyday as he was a big part of my life and was very supportive of Matthew and our family. He was a very proud and humble man who would give the shirt from his back to his fellow man and would always put in a hard day's work as an ironworker. He was a great husband and a great father and he and mom were both wonderful parents and are both missed and are now together once again as I believe it so in my heart. It is my dad who inspired me and spoke encouraging words to our son and spent quality time with him when he would visit.

I have primarily focused on Autism and our experiences with our son in my blog but have on occasion wrote about my personal reflection of my childhood growing up and about my mom and dad and my two sisters. I also wrote about tragedy and coping with losing both my mom and dad 19 years apart. My dad was very sad and was certainly very loyal to mom and never remarried as she was his love eternal. Dad had a lot of courage and he was a very kind, caring and compassionate person. It is very true how you really miss someone when you no longer have them and when they were here you never really appreciated them as you should have. 

I find writing a truly liberating experience that helps me express things I can not verbalize with others. When I write I get pretty deep in expressing my feelings and I speak with a purpose and with emotion. I am much happier when I write because I can open up and share what I am going through and I feel that it is a healthy and necessary outlet for me. If I kept it inside I feel I would be very upset. It's like opening up the floodgates and letting everything pass through. It is a cleansing of the soul and a penance. As a result of my writing I feel it is very important to be responsible and to be respectful with all that I write about and to be sincere. I write from personal experience and sometimes those experiences can be very painful and other times they can be very joyous. That is what life is all about with the highs and the lows that we all experience.

When I started writing I had no idea that it would lead to the creation of a website. I am very proud to form a website and I feel it will help our son and it will also benefit others who are going through what we are. The autism community is a wonderful and very supportive place and it is where my wife and I go when we need guidance and inspiration. Every parent wants to do all they can for their child and always be supportive and understanding. With special needs children comes the need for a great deal of patience and an unconditional love like no other. You will find there are not enough hours in the day to do all you need to and the time for rest which is much needed becomes less and less with all the worries and concerns.

Now that I have been writing for a while I think it is a good idea to go through my posts and see how I can have it edited into a possible personal account story of  A father's love, My son and autism which would be a wonderful account of my family, our son and dealing with the highs and lows of life and autism. I am proud I have stuck to my writing and have been very responsible and very compassionate in my views. I feel this is my lasting legacy for my wife and son and what better gift to them then the words of love and hope that come from my heart which is directed to them both.

I highly encourage anyone who is dealing with autism or a child with special needs to always have hope and to stay focused in what you need to do for your child. It is critical that you take action early in the child's diagnosis and to be aware of the warning signs such as limited expression of speech and eye contact and a general disinterest in activities. Never take anything for granted. If you are unsure then go see your child's pediatrician. You can never be too certain. Autism is on the rise and it should be taken very seriously.

If you have been introduced to my blog I encourage you to continue to visit it to read my writings and to also visit my facebook pages:
Autism Insight
Autism Dreams
Autism Vision

Now that I have created a website inspired by both my dad and my son I also encourage you to visit there as well.

http://www.autismdreams.com/

I thank you, my audience always for your interest and your kindness.

I thank my son for his courage and his innocence and for his wonderful ideas and inspiration.

I thank my wife for her love, patience and understanding.

I thank my parents for their love, their compassion and their guidance in my life.

I thank God  for blessing me with a wonderful wife and son.

Thank you blogspot!

Bless you all!

Edward D. Iannielli III
A Father's Love, My Son and Autism