Yawn, Yawn, Yawn

             Yawn.

            This is somewhat like a test: see if you can read these few paragraphs without yawning, okay?

            Just the other night, Mom, the Duppster and I were in the car, heading home from an event.  All three of us were yawning. 

            So, we started talking about why people yawn and why it seems that yawns are contagious. 

            According to Andrew C. Gallup, PhD, "Brains are like computers... They operate most efficiently when cool, and physical adaptations have evolved to allow maximum cooling of the brain."

            Gallup reports that the brain warms up as people get tired and sleepy, but it’s not really boredom or sleepiness that causes yawning; it’s the need to cool the brain. 

            We inhale air when we yawn; our eardrums stretch; cooler air gets to our sinuses, ears, brains and more.  Our lungs are stretched. 

            All of this, of course, is just Gallup’s theory, but his theory is based on scientific research.

            Haven’t we all heard that yawning is contagious?  Is it? 

            Yes, it is.  According to various studies by several scientists, yawning, which is involuntary, is a part of centuries or eons of socialization.  It’s a way of relating to other people and has come down through the generations.

            So, next time someone yawns, don’t think the person is bored.  He’s just socializing with you!

            Now, there are two questions: 1) Did you read this without yawning? and 2) Can you keep your eyes open – totally open – when you yawn?

A checkered flag for autism service: Take time to vote for AUTISM (and for my sister, Lorri Shealy Unumb)

A checkered flag for autism service - Bertram Rantin - TheState.com

This link will take you to the article in today's edition of THE STATE newspaper (Columbia, SC.)  Please take 2 minutes to vote for autism!

Word Play - or Forgetfulness?

Sometimes my mouth works faster than my brain.

Sometimes my mouth works – and the brain is totally idle, as in off duty.

Admittedly, these statements don’t surprise folks who know me well. Those folks would include members of our adult Sunday School class, which I’ve been “teaching” for several years.

This past Sunday, as we discussed callings and vocations, I said my sister had a child with Alzheimer’s.

Class members snickered. They knew I meant to say “autism” instead of “Alzheimer’s.”

Well, I understand that autism and Alzheimer’s are not laughing matters, but when I think about saying that a woman has given birth to a child with Alzheimer’s, the thought is a little comical.

There are other words I confuse for no apparent reason. Like hysterectomy and hemorrhoidectomy. Believe me, I’ve had ‘em both; they most definitely are not the same.

Another example has to do with house-hunting. The Duppster, my fabulous hubby, is a craftsman of sorts. He wants to build things – furniture and such. So, we’ve been looking – leisurely and casually - for a house that includes a workshop.

But I mistakenly said the other day that we are looking for a place with a “warehouse.”

Talk about storage possibilities - a warehouse.

Wow! Isn’t that every woman’s dream?

~                         ~                          ~

So You Think YOU Had Fun on Labor Day????

My youngest sister, Lorri, is the mother of three VERY active boys.  The oldest, Ryan, is 10 and has autism.  Lorri is vice president of State Government Affairs at Autism Speaks.

If you think you had an exciting Labor Day weekend, read her account below.  And if you were somewhat down because you had a boring Labor Day, read her account -- and be thankful!

So we’re trying to enjoy a little time in the backyard with the kids, who are running here, there and everywhere. After a while, we hear the doorbell ringing inside. It is a neighbor, bringing home Ryan (age 10), who was stark naked in another neighbor’s front yard, playing in the sprinklers. (We never saw him leave.)

Then we cooked steaks for dinner, which went fine until the grand flame, which set off the smoke alarm and caused the fire truck to arrive with sirens blaring and lights flashing.  (The kids loved it.) 

What does that have to do with this picture?  Nothing, of course.  The picture is Ryan locked in a friend’s BMW, where he’s been for more than an hour.  We were finally able to coach him to push the unlock button; unfortunately, it has now been disabled.  (Darn fancy cars.)  AAA is on the way, possibly to tow the BMW and Ryan, who is wearing no pants, to the dealership to activate the lock. 

How was your Labor Day weekend?

                                                                                                                                        

This Cutie!

This cutie is Ryan, one of my nephews. 

Ryan is autistic.  Today is World Autism Awareness Day and April is Autism Awareness Month. 

Having a family member who is autistic has been an eye-opening and learning experience.  Autism really is a puzzle. 


Below are some of the family members participating in a Walk for Autism.

Ryan is one of the sweetest kids ever, but, like many autistic children, he sometimes hits and bites out of frustration.  We've all experienced bruises from being around Ryan. 

We've also experienced much joy and love from being around Ryan. 

There are always challenges.  Going to a movie or to dinner, going to church, participating in ordinary activities -- these all present challenges for families.                  

 

Wear blue today for Autism Awareness. 

*                     *                         *                           *

Women Who Make a Difference!!!

ALL women make a difference.  Some make more of a difference than others and, sometimes, the difference made isn't positive, unfortunately. 

Today I'm writing about one particular woman who has made a tremendous difference in a very positive way. 

After church today, I went by the post office for the first time in a few days, and there was my very first issue of TOWN AND COUNTRY magazine.  Even though it's only January 10th, this is the February issue, and it features Cindy Crawford on the cover.

I quickly flipped through the pages, because I knew this issue was paying tribute to specific women who have had an extremely positive impact on others.  Finally, I found what I was looking for on page 44:

That woman is my baby sister, and she's one of my heroes - AND she's one of four women honored by Longines in TOWN AND COUNTRY as "Women Who Make a Difference."

Here's the introduction in the magazine: 

At Longines, "Elegance is an attitude."  It reminds us that grace, style, and soul are the qualities that make a women elegant.  Nowhere are those traits more on display than when a woman devotes herself to making a difference in someone else's life.  The following four women are the epitome of elegance.  They champion those less fortunate and tirelessly work to make this a better place to live.

The four who are recognized are these: 

1)  tennis star Stefanie Graf as the founder of of Children for Tomorrow, an organization which helps children and families who are victims of various kinds of violence; she is the Longines Ambassador of Elegance; 

2) Deloris Jordan, mother of basketball great Michael Jordan, as founder of The James Jordan Foundation, which supports academic opportunities and academic excellence through several of its programs; 

3) Leila de Bruyne, founder of Flying Kites, an organization which provides care for Kenyan children who have been abused, orphaned and/or abandoned; and

4) Lorri Shealy Unumb, my above-pictured hero.

And because she is, of course, my favorite honoree, I'm sharing what was published about her, for fear of doing too much gushing on my own:

Lorri Unumb is the driving force behind Ryan's Law - the single most influential piece of legislation for families living with the hardships of autism.  Lorri's son Ryan was diagnosed with autism in 2003.  Early in their journey, Lorri learned that insurance companies did not cover treatment for autism.  Lorri, a practicing lawyer, soon began her historic battle with insurance companies and state governments to get autism treatment covered.  Her first victory was in her home state of South Carolina, where insurance companies are now compelled to pay for the treatment of autism.  

Lorri has played an active role in changing legislation in other states, and today 15 states have enacted their own versions of Ryan's Law.  In 2008 Lorri joined Autism Speaks as its senior policy advisor and counsel, a role in which she supports and advises other activists in this worthy cause. 

 
Lorri and the many, many volunteers she recruited worked hard for over two years to get Ryan's Law passed in South Carolina.  Then, when it was finally passed, Governor Mark Sanford vetoed it!  Once again, Lorri and troops rallied; the House of Representatives voted unanimously to override the governor's veto!!   As of former state legislator, I know that it is very unusual for a legislature to do much of anything unanimously and almost unheard of for a legislative body to override a governor's veto unanimously.

During this same time period, she was voted "Professor of the Year" by the student bar association at the Charleston School of Law and was honored with the Jefferson Award by The Post and Courier, Charleston's daily newspaper.  All the while, she was traveling to other states to help with legislative efforts in those places AND she and Dan added to the family with Christopher and then Jonathan. 

If you ask me, Lorri should have been on the cover instead of - or along with - Cindy Crawford! 


I used to take care of Ryan a lot.  This collage shows several pictures of us together. The second photo is a close-up of Ryan a few years ago; the third is about two years ago at Jonathan's baptism, then one of Lorri and Ryan, followed by shots from the Autism Walk in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Visit http://www.autismspeaks.org/ for more information about autism.

`    `    `    `    `    `    `    `

WW: Football and Musings from the News - Comas and Autism

Just a few days until THE football rivalry in South Carolina.  It's the Carolina-Clemson game, or, as some folks say, the Clemson-Carolina game.

I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina.  So was my dad.  Several other family members are USC grads also. 

Daughter Mandy, however, left the "religion" and married into a die-hard Clemson family.  I believe their blood literally runs orange.  :)

And, now, look at what they've done to my grandson, Harrison. 

How in the world can I be on a different side from this cute little one?   

Based on the season so far, the orange team is likely to prevail.  

And, just for the record, I wouldn't trade my orange-blooded son-in-law, Adam, for any number of USC grads. 


Now, for musings on recent news:

1.  I am totally amazed by the news this week concerning the man who was in a coma for 23 years but now has let people know that he has been alert all along or practically all along!  He could hear what was going on around him and was aware but couldn't let anyone know!!!  Does this make you wonder how many times this has happened with others?

2.  There were two stories about children with autism.  Since I have a nephew with autism, these stories always catch my attention. 

One has to do with the mother who said she helped her son and actually saved his life by baking medical marijuana into his brownies.  She and one of the doctors say that this treatment has made a major difference in the boy's health and behavior.  It has also lessened his need for many of the medications he was taking previously.  Critics say this means the boy is constantly drugged or "stoned."

The other item is about the boy with autism who survived for 11 days on the NYC subway system.  He says he survived on snacks and water. 

Both of these stories are truly "food for thought."  One thing I know is that people with autism cannot be judged the same as others.  Perhaps "judged" is the wrong word.  Regardless, especially for those with more than minor autistic symptoms, their world is different.  And so is the world for -  and daily lives of  - their families.


 Other Wordless Wednesday participants here.                                           Other Wordful Wednesday participants here.

There's Even Some Humor in Autism Testing!

To label my nephew Christopher as precocious is an understatement. He’s also quite funny.

First, though, a bit of background:

His older brother, Ryan, who is 8, is autistic. Ryan is routinely evaluated at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. So are his siblings, Christopher and Jonathan.

The most recent evaluation for all three was a few weeks ago.

Christopher was in a room with the person doing the testing, while his parents and others watched from outside the room.

Christopher, just barely 5, opened the session himself by announcing, "I'm five; I know everything." Then he added, “I don't have to be here; I don't have autism; it's my brother that has autism. I'm only up here for y'all to find out how smart I am."

Of course, they continued with the testing anyway.

One question asked was, “What is an eyelash?”
Christopher answered, “I know what it is but I don’t know anything to tell you about it.”

Then he was asked what a cow is. The answer was supposed to be something simple like “an

animal” or perhaps “an animal that says ‘Moo.’”
Christopher answered that a cow is “a provider of milk.”

Christopher used to stay with me every weekend. I was disappointed that he continued to depend on his pacifier for bedtime and naps at the age of 2.

So, one weekend, we “accidentally lost” the pacifier. He had to sleep that night without it. He pitched a fit, but finally went to sleep and slept through the night.

The next day, I told him I had talked to his momma and bragged on him, telling her that Christopher was such a big boy now because he could do without his pacifier.

Without missing a beat, Christopher said, “Well, my momma didn’t understand what you were saying!”

Photo Hunt: WALKING

The theme for this week's Photo Hunt in blogland is WALKING.

Have you ever seen a cow walking upright? Here's one. Okay, so he's the Chick-fil-A cow, not a real cow.


Someone has been walking in the sand on the beach.




One person walking was The Dawg, but I don't think those are his footprints.

Humans aren't the only ones walking on the beach.

Members of our church choir are walking in the Palm Sunday procession.

Family members participated in the Autism Awareness Walk last fall. Here (standing - just before walking) are Mandy, Lorri, Tree, Mom, Lisa and Nancy.

Lots of people from South Carolina and North Carolina were walking for autism awareness.

To see more participants in Photo Hunt, click here.

Wordless Wednesday: Autism and Ryan

Wordless Wednesday! Such a great time for bloggers to post pictures instead of words. Today I'm posting both.

The little boy in the picture is Ryan, one of my nephews. He is wordless everyday. He has autism.

April is Autism Awareness Month.

Ryan has difficulty expressing his wants, needs, feelings, desires and such. Sometimes, like most children with autism, he hits. This shot shows a bruise on my arm after one of his episodes.

Ryan is now 8 and is involved in intensive therapy. His mom - my sister Lorri - works fulltime with Autism Speaks.

For bloggers, it's fun and exciting to be wordless on Wednesdays. Being wordless can't be fun for Ryan.

----------------------

Autism artwork: www.designbycher.com/autism_art.htm