An Unexpected Joy

by Mary Sharp, M.D.

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Cry, laugh, and grow as the author tells how she came to see her son as God’s gift. Retail:   $12.99 Discount (10%): - $1.30 Your Price:   $11.69 See Product Details See Customer Reviews

Lost and Found.

Nic has autism. He’s a handsome boy who only wants to wear his Batman pj’s and cowboy boots—preferably at the same time. He’s trying to learn, to catch up, but with Nic everything comes more slowly. He seems lost in his own isolated world. Often he can’t express himself verbally, but his big brother sees that Nic “talks with his eyes.”

Mary is Nic’s mom. She is a family practice doctor from Michigan who for the past twelve years has vacillated between denial, depression, rage, and despair. And now, acceptance. She has come to see her son as a true gift from God. But it hasn’t been easy. With a tender strength, her memoir offers:

• A sense that someone else knows what you’re going through
• Help in dealing with the inevitable emotional and spiritual struggles
• Insights into pitfalls to avoid and issues to address

“We have learned to be thankful for the simplest things. All our assumptions were wiped away. In this affluent culture, drenched in media images, material wealth, and general over busy-ness, this is a gift. We had the excess scraped off, and I believe our family is closer and more balanced because of it,” writes the author.

Mary Sharp consumed the literature on autism but found nothing in it that soothed the ache in her soul. In her own book, she tells it like it is, from tantrums in the movie theater to changing diapers on a six-year-old. And she does so with the humor and compassion of one “who’s been there.” Whether or not you have children with autism or other special needs, The Gift of Autism will speak to your heart. It is a story of realistic hope and emergence—the pain of feeling lost and the joy of being found.




Shocked and offended
I am amazed that NavPress has an author who is so vehemently opposed to homeschooling. I was enjoying this book and nodding my head in agreement until I reached the section titled "anger" in chapter 3. Her "visceral anger" as she describes it results in a printed diatribe against homeschooling and homeschoolers, causing a bit of my own visceral anger. Very, very poor taste.

Amen!
“We have learned to be thankful for the simplest things. All our assumptions were wiped away. In this affluent culture, drenched in media images, material wealth, and general over busy-ness, this is a gift. We had the excess scraped off, and I believe our family is closer and more balanced because of it,” writes the author. I have shared this exact gratitude with my husband many times since we began our journey on the spectrum. While I will not try to gloss over how difficult many days are, there is a freedom found in this place. God is merciful. I am ordering this book right now. I think this may be what I have been searching for. Thank you.

Unexpected Joy
I was blessed to hear Dr. Sharp via Midday Connection today. I went to the website read the reviews on her book and instantly God put on my heart that my brother and his wife could be blessed by this book. My niece has special needs and is truly an unexpected joy to their lives and mine. "I believe that things don't just happen, they happen just".

inspired now comforted
I think just reading of the reviews have inspired me to purchase this book on an unexpected joy, which is my son whom has been batteling with a cronic incurable illness thats kept us all upside down and i constantly tell him it's not his fault and changing schools that could not cope so this book is the best i've heard yet dealing with our children and illnesses .thank you to the author and thank you for thinking of all us mothers who felt like giving up.

medicine to my spirit.
My 5 yr old twins are autistic. It comes with a whole roller coaster of emotions on a daily basis. An Unexpected Joy was medicine to my spirit. The book made me feel like I'm not alone. For anyone who doesn't have the challenge of rearing children w/ this particular challenge it would give you an incite as to what it is like to be the mother of one of these special little people & perhaps better help you minister to a friend who has found themselves in the middle of this challenge. I am so thankful God led me to this book as a lot of healing took place as I read it.

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