This is my autism shelf. It is growing. I am a very logical person. To me, logic is the thing that brought me to God. And logic has me cling to Jesus. I don’t think that truly hit home until I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, AUDH.
This is my autism shelf. It is growing.
If you would have told me a few years ago that I’d have a dedicated space for books and resources on autism and ADHD, I might have laughed. But here we are. And honestly? I’m grateful for it.
I’ve always been a logical person. It’s actually logic that led me to God—one clear step after another until I found myself clinging to Jesus. But I don’t think I truly understood how much that logic shaped me until I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD (or AuDHD, as they call it). Suddenly, so much of my life made sense.
I’m incredibly thankful for my diagnosis, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t come with grief, too. I’ve had to mourn the life I never got to have—the one where I knew how my brain worked from the start and could have used it differently. Maybe I wouldn’t have flunked so many classes because I was off reading somewhere instead of attending lectures. Maybe I would have picked a different degree. (Graphic design with minimal computer classes in the mid-90s? Let’s just say that career path had an expiration date.)
Instead, I found my way to trade school. I got a job. And that job turned into a 30-year career, one that looked different over the years but still gave me stability.
And you know what? I’m happy.
It wasn’t always easy, though. Getting to this place—where I feel at peace with Jesus, my husband, my daughters, and the life I’ve built—was a battle. Some parts of that battle I’ll talk about here on the blog or over on TikTok, some I won’t. But what I do want to share is this: Seeking mental health, learning about how my brain works, and understanding myself more deeply has only brought me closer to the things that matter most.
I don’t believe there’s a separation between mental health and faith. For me, pursuing one has strengthened the other. I see God’s hand in all of it—in the timing of my diagnosis, in the grace I’ve learned to extend to myself, in the relationships that ground me.
So, my autism shelf keeps growing. And so does my understanding of who I am, who God made me to be, and how I fit into this world. And I think that’s pretty beautiful.
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Mom
Do you remember being a kid and coloring? Or getting a new Lego set? Or a new art kit? I remember the peace that came with moving my hands and creating something. Not creating something for work or to sell. Something you do for you. Something to calm your mind in this crazy world that tells you to “work more, and rest never.” That is what I feel we see the world pushing our kids to relax with a purpose, I want to show my daughters to prioritize their mental health and to practice self-care. For me, as a late-in-life diagnosed autistic adhd woman, I relax by moving my hands. Creating things, some original and some not-so-original, but everything will have a story. I will introduce our beautiful chas to you along with all of their creativity and their toolbox to survive an overwhelming world.
