Community Corner
‘We Didn’t Know What Life Would Be Like’: 30 Days Of Gratitude
A North Reading mom didn't know what life would be like when her son was diagnosed with autism. As it turns out, it's been wonderful.
NORTH READING, MA — One of the big things to know about living with gratitude is big challenges don't suddenly vanish.
That certainly didn’t happen for Cindy Ames Milligan, a North Reading mom whose son was diagnosed with autism when he was 2½.
“We didn’t know what life would be like for him,” Milligan wrote on Facebook when Patch asked readers what they’re grateful for and how they practice living with gratitude.
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People who live with intentional gratitude recognize that the good things in their lives come from a source outside of themselves — other people who give “many gifts big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives,” according to Robert Emmons, a University of California, Davis psychology professor who is known as the "father of gratitude."
Patch's "30 Days Of Gratitude" is a series of articles exploring the intentionality of gratitude and featuring bits of wisdom from Patch readers. Check Across America Patch every day through November for more stories like this. And be sure to sign up for North Reading Patch to find out what’s happening outside your front door.
Autism is very much an individual spectrum disorder, and its effects vary, according to the American Autism Association. Symptoms of autism can be mild to severe, most often showing up before the age of 3, as they did with Milligan’s toddler.
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Many parents of children living with autism say different approaches are needed to tap their children’s potential. When she looks back on the last many years seeing her son flourish, Milligan swells with gratitude.
“He has begun his senior year in high school, and we could not be more proud of the man he has become,” she wrote on Facebook. “I am grateful for all the amazing teachers and paraprofessionals in this town that have helped him reach his potential with kindness, support and love!”
Do you have a story of gratitude? Tell us in the comments or in a Neighbor Post on North Reading Patch and use the hashtag #30DaysOfGratitude.
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