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Prologue
A great deal of prayer and greater amount of
insistence from my grandson Keaton has resulted in
my attempt to write. My hope is to impart to others
the experiences I have lived as the grandmother of an
autistic grandson who is so special to me. My first
effort at creative writing consisted of poetry written
in high school and in the early years of college.
The poetry writing ended when I asked an English
Professor to suggest a book that dealt with the subject
of my interest. His exact response was “Oh no! Just
what the world needs: another d*** lady poet”!
Friends and acquaintances have told Keaton that he
should write a book. He has long enjoyed composing
lists of names for parties, picnics or gatherings for
special occasions. He writes his own notes in cards
and in letters, nearly all of them sent by what is now
called “snail mail”. He has given me at least three
manuscripts of his portion of our book. For the last
five years he has been ready. He finally convinced me
by saying that he and his mother would like for him
to have a book of his own to display as he speaks to
groups regarding how he copes with autism. I realized
how much it means to Keaton for us to publish this
book.
Our book is a combination of Keaton’s writings and
of mine. He sat next to me at our table to be able
to read as I wrote. He stated that he wanted to be
certain that none of his “transgressions” are included.
What these are, or what he perceives them to be, I