The @CanucksAutism Network #Autism

Last night, I went to the Canucks #Austism Network volunteer orientation. I heard about them, actually saw one of its vans, at a street fair in Kits last summer.

For those of you who don't know, my nephew and Godson, whom I affectionately refer to as Little Man, is autistic. He's such a fun, creative, curious and smart kid. It was really hard to leave him behind, but we both need to grow into our own skin, so to speak, and learn to navigate our respective worlds. It's been a harder adjustment for me than I expected, especially when I hear about him going through a rough patch. It's typical, he's 5, so it's part of growing up. Being autistic presents another set of challenges, though, and it's hard to be at such a distance and unable to help him, and my family, through it.

Instead of wallowing in that space, though, I looked a little wider and started wondering what I could do out here. What could I do that, even if not a direct impact on Little Man, will at least give me the sense of contributing and being useful? Being laid off sucked, but being able to spend so much time with Little Man was awesome. In that regard, getting laid off was a blessing.

Guess I've been stuck in this loop for awhile without realizing it. While moving, I found one of those bracelets, like the LiveStrong ones, only for the Cancuks Austim Network. I looked them up and bingo! They're always looking for volunteers. So I signed up and went through orientation last night.

Orientation was a little hard as it brought back so many awesome memories of Little Man. Taking him to the mall early Saturday morning, with the walkers before all the stores opened, so he could run around. Remembering how the place started to get crowded, he'd had enough and laid down while putting his jacket over his head. Remembering taking him to swimming lessons, and how the first couple times he didn't want to get in the water but once he did he loved it! So many memories. I wasn't prepared for the emotional onslaught.

Then I started thinking about all the other families that have kids with autism, the very families the Canucks Autism Network strives to help. Judging from the volunteer orientation, they do help. I can, too.

The presenter told a story about her first time going to a family trip. They have weekend trips for families during the summer, kind of like a camping trip. A mother was crying in the cafeteria when the presenter arrived, and she asked if everything was OK. The mother said yes, that she was just overjoyed because it was the first time the family had gone on a trip together.

That reminded me of our family trips to Michigan and, more recently, Wisconsin, with Little Man. I come from a very loving, supportive family. We all pitched in, making sure each kid (I have two nephews and a niece) got attention from all of us.

Moving to Vancouver, that's kind of been lost. Being in a house with three friends has mitigated that a bit now, in a sense. But there's still something missing. A role I played at home that, through the Canucks Autism Network, I hope to adapt that to being out here.