Caden's work is truly a mix of balance & design. To many this would seem easy ... A pile of rocks. But it is so cool up close... Balanced .. Sturdy. He only chooses to create with natural materials. He loves nature and sees it like a treasure chest.... Opening it daily... Discovering new elements moment by moment. He sees the world thru divine eyes. I watch the other NW lake kids try & copy him. They never seem achieve what he can. Caden was diagnosed with late onset autism ... Showing up at the onset of puberty. He has always been extremely compassionate, communicative & caring.. Especially towards delayed or special needs children so autism was not on his radar. His grandmother has always said, "Caden is much more of Heaven than of this earth." He draws people in with his angelic good looks (like a young Brad Pitt) but soon they realize he is different.. Ethereal ... And his soul runs deep. He creates from that place. Caden can't tell a joke and an inference is way over his head but he is leaps & bounds ahead of most in engineering & technical spatial reasoning skills. Each rock is chosen out of the lake.. Precise in its fit into his design. makes me smile because that's how God's design is for us... Perfect from beginning to end. It is amazing to watch & makes me cry as I type this knowing God has entrusted him to my husband, Greg & I. On this I realize my own purpose in life is so linked to his. I can't imagine what he will do on the years to come ... Awesome things I'm sure & we will be there every step of the way -Jana Jess: About a month ago, Jana approached us after I had shared an inspiring video on our Facebook page about a boy with Autism who was able to play in a game and ended up scoring a lot of points! She told us how she felt empowered by the video and then began to share her story about her son, Caden. She told us about how he made rock formations out at the lake and I instantly knew a collaboration was in our future. She sent me a few photos and a background story and I found that my heart was so full. Knowing that there are so many talented children in this world who rarely get a chance to be heard. I'm so thankful that Jana reached out to us and let us tell Caden's story.
If you feel inspired by this story please email us at TalesOfAWestCoastChild@gmail.com or comment below and we will pass along the message. xoxo
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We're looking for the best of the west. We want to showcase your photos! Because being a West Coast Child isn't just for Tashina & I. We're striving to make this a community of west coasters and we'd love to include you. And maybe you're from the east coast or maybe mid-west. We still love you. However, we're looking for photos of our great WEST SIDE! Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada. It's fall so let's see those pumpkins, hot apple cider, your favorite hike, your cute shoes in those crunchy leaves, the best sunsets, trees, valleys, mountains, etc. You get the picture (lol). Let's see them. Don't be shy! We want to know what make the west coast unique. Hashtag your photos with #taleswcc and you'll be featured on our blog! Or if you don't know what a hashtag is, send them to our email! talesofawestcoastchild@gmail.com Tell your friends. Example PhotosExample PostThis weeks #taleswcc are from @yourname @hisname @hername Thank for submitting blah blah blah Favorite Landscape: Favorite Holiday Related Post (but we'll find a better word): Favorite Landmark: Well I hope that was interesting and entertaining. So use #taleswcc or email us! Can't wait!
XO j + t. Aptly titled No. 001 to symbolize new beginnings.
Thankfulness. This topic will be in households all over America in the coming months. It has me thinking of all the things in my life to which I can say, thank you. A lot. I'm not trying to sound cheesy or overly buoyant, I'm just genuinely thankful. To begin, I have an amazing family that is ever growing, with three new additions just within the last year! And more to come I'm sure. My parents, who are currently in Paris, France right now, are the most amazing people in the world. How did I get so lucky? My siblings are the craziest, funniest, most un-lovable bunch and yet, they have my whole heart. My friends, who I can call family, are just as "eclectic" as I am. And my darling Kaiya. What a riot. That girl constantly has me on my toes and/or the floor laughing. My heart is so full, and yet, there is more... I'm thankful for opportunity. Right now I'm back in school where I'm able to study whatever I like. Rock science or whatever else I might choose. In retrospect it really wasn't long ago that women couldn't even go to school~let alone college~let alone choose any career they like. It took me a while to really grasp that and not take advantage of this time. There is also opportunity within my amazing company. Like I previously stated about my parents being in Paris, well that was an all expenses paid trip for helping to bring the company to $500 million dollars in global revenue last year. Kicking butt. They inspire me. What other company has that? Most of all, I'm thankful for Jesus. My brief stint on the mission field brought to light a lot of things in my life that I needed to work on. Before I would have considered myself pretty self-less, humble, giving, thankful, etc. Oh boy did I get a wake up call. While on a two month mission in Fiji I met a lot of people. A majority of them were just as I had perviously described myself. Willing to share their homes, their food, and even their clothing. Just like that. They didn't know me. They didn't know my story. Heck, they didn't even know my last name. And yet, they were so eager to please me. Was it simply because I was from AMERICA, the wonderful? Was it because of my fair skin? Or was simply because that is their culture. Love. Simply and beautifully, LOVE. When the shock of their generosity began to wear off, I realized something. They didn't just show this kindness to me. But to everyone they came in contact with. Brothers. Sisters. Family. {And while this may seem like a generalization of people of Fiji, this is merely my observation.} My daughter and I often talk of memories we have from the beautiful country we visited not long ago. She remembers the security of a certain village, the kindness, the laughter. Most importantly, she remembers. A journey like ours doesn't happen for most (then) five year olds. What I'm just realizing is that none of this would have happened if I hadn't said yes to Him. Jesus. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am humbled. I am blessed. XO j. |
TashinaRead. Write. Create. Love. Archives
October 2018
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