Linda Pearce Griffin

Floors

I began thinking about floors a few days ago. Lord! Don’t ask me why such stuff comes into my head. It just does. And this is what came of that thinking. I’ll just start with the word: floor. A benign word, as words go. Usually a noun and we most immediately think of it inContinue reading “Floors”

Camping

The first time I ever went camping I was nineteen years old. My parents had moved to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and soon thereafter joined the legions of locals who camped out regularly. They purchased a cox camper – which is basically a tent on wheels – and became regulars. One of their favoriteContinue reading “Camping”

Birthdays…

I recently celebrated another birthday and the day brought with it memories of other birthdays over the years. Growing up my brother and I were allowed to pick whatever cake we wanted for our special day. Mama would ask us what kind of cake we wanted several days before the actual birthday so that sheContinue reading “Birthdays…”

July 4th!

My grampa, John Wesley Pearce, was born on July 4th, 1881. For many years the Pearce family gathered at my grandparent’s home on July 4th to celebrate his birthday. When I was very young I thought the whole reason people set off fireworks was to celebrate my grampa’s birthday. Later I learned that it justContinue reading “July 4th!”

Insurance Company

If you were thinking an insurance company wasn’t an exciting place to work you would be exactly right. But as life would have it you can meet some interesting folks no matter where you happen to be. And even in a place like that there were some folks who entertained me during the self-imposed imprisonmentContinue reading “Insurance Company”

Boyfriends

In Second Grade I had two boys who liked me more than a little. I was flattered and very much enjoyed their extra attention. Otherwise, I had no idea what to do about this happy turn except to smile at them. That seemed to be quite enough – at least in the beginning – butContinue reading “Boyfriends”

Swinging

I was at the park watching a young girl swinging – leaning forward to face the wind and then leaning back her face to the sky – her hair flying in the wind and her face awash with pure bliss. For a moment I was her – caught up in the sound of her laughterContinue reading “Swinging”

The Rest of the Story

I have been sharing stories of our journey with autism and my son, Alex, has been generous to allow me to tell these stories. I know the power that sharing these stories have because I was fortunate to have found a community of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families that shared their storiesContinue reading “The Rest of the Story”

Driving with Autism

I had hoped that my son would learn to drive. And then I hoped that he wouldn’t. Either way, there were going to be consequences. Not driving meant learning to use public transportation and certainly involved advance planning if public transportation was unavailable. Not driving also meant considerable inconvenience for me as the parent. AndContinue reading “Driving with Autism”

Quota

Prior to my son Alex’s diagnosis of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) he had great difficulty connecting with his peers socially. For one thing, he did not understand slang expressions or idioms, which made casual conversation confusing and awkward. Alex thinks in very concrete terms and expressions like “it’s raining cats and dogs” made absolutely noContinue reading “Quota”