Such a cliché – “When it rains, it pours!” But, sometimes there is no better way to describe life.

We’ve had a lot going on lately and have had a lot of stress in our lives as a result. For the most part I’m good with stress; I can typically roll with the punches, maintain a positive attitude and keep marching forward - usually with a smile. The bottom line is that I know everything is cyclical and that this, too, shall pass. In the past month, though, amidst the rain, it began to pour in the Wilcox household and instead of singing and dancing in the rain – I’m admittedly sloshing a bit, mindfully trying to hum my way through it.

Most impactful, my mother-in-law passed away two days after Christmas. While it wasn’t a total surprise as we watched her health slowly decline over the past few years, it wasn’t necessarily “expected” either and it has been devastating on many levels. While I was very worried about how Ethan would handle it, he surprised me (as he often does) and took the news much better than I expected. At some point I plan to write an entire post about death and loss with regard to raising this amazing boy with Asperger’s…but for now, suffice it to say that Ethan is faring quite well, probably even better than the rest of us. More on that in the future…

Next, since mid-December, Ethan has been having some nasty issues with digestion. He hiccups or burps and gets more than air in his mouth (sometimes on his clothes) – ICK…but it has happened so much lately (with no fever, no stomachache, etc.) he thinks it is no big deal; so much so that I think he’s hiding it from us now. With the holidays, travel (to visit my family in NM), everything surrounding the death of his grandmother and getting back to school, it has been nearly impossible to get him in to see his doctor. Meanwhile Ethan continues to have regurgitation issues that are as-of-yet unexplained and, well – making me crazy! This is not natural and it is not a good sign! Just when I think he’s somehow gotten over it – BOOM! There it is again. We’re scheduled to see Ethan’s doctor soon. I’m praying for some answers and direction to help us “fix” this before it does any long-term damage.

Finally, just days after losing his mother, my husband awoke in the middle of the night with a kidney stone and blood in his urine. He was able to take the pain until about 5am at which time we awoke Ethan and headed for the ER. In addition to finding a kidney stone – which he expected – he was diagnosed with a bladder infection (hence the blood in his urine). Several days (and many pills) later, even on the day of his mother’s memorial service, the stone had not yet passed. Greg spent many days in horrendous pain or taking several medications (for pain, nausea, to relax muscles and/or to support dilation – none of which come without side effects like extreme drowsiness and/or more nausea). He finally passed the stone late last week but tests indicate there are more sitting around waiting in his kidney to wreak further havoc. I finally talked him into considering some natural remedies to try to break-up/dissolve the remaining stones to avoid the surgical remedies his mainstream doctor is suggesting. I am sincerely hoping he will utilize the natural treatments as indicated and that they will actually work, for obvious reasons.

Sigh.

Those are the three big issues that have rained down domination over our lives over the past few weeks and have kept me feeling like I’m on “high alert.” While I’m physically tired and mentally exhausted, I’ve made it a point to rest as much as possible and have been reading fiction (which is one of my favorite forms of “escape”) quite a bit, too.

I’m actively looking for a rainbow as this new week kicks off…

What is it like in your house this second week of January 2012? Is it raining? Pouring? Or do you have a rainbow or clear skies to enjoy right now?

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Leigh Attaway Wilcox is Editor in Charge of the internationally acclaimed AutismSpot.com and her work can be found on many of the pLDNetworks sites. Leigh is the author of ALL BETTER: A Touch-and-Heal Book published by Piggy Toes Press in 2007 (now available for digital download via Moving Picture Books). Leigh lives in North Texas with her husband and young son who loves reading, LEGOs, Mario Bros. and also happens to live with Asperger's Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder.