ELIJA.ORG is our NEW address
The Elija Foundation's name came from all different channels. Ultimatley ,the name itself really came to be on it's own.The logo, that illustrates the universally recognized Prophet Elijah carrying a child in his triumphant chairiot and horses of fire, is based on the comparison to the Prophet's life & character traits.It has many similar aspects to the lives we live from day to day as care givers to children with special needs.
Here are some key factors that we found very inspirational.
*Elijah had incredible faith. He was also a man of action. His persistance and consistancy in what he believed made him a man full of grace, respect, dignity and miracles.
*During times when his faith seemed to be tested, he had on an occasion said "I have had enough, LORD,..."Take my life;..." as well as "I alone am left," ...
We can all relate to these feelings of discouragment and abandonment. Most of us have "all or nothing thinking". YET,this is factually incorrect. Several rejections do not mean we are unemployable. Normal healing includes some setbacks. Things do and can change, but most do so slowly over time. And even the most cared for will sometimes feel neglected.
*What Elijah needed (and what we do too when we're down and have lost faith and encouragement) was perspective. He needed a fresh look at his reality that could see past his present troubles. So God had him stand on a mountain where he could observe a perspective-producing object lesson.
*In quick succession Elijah experienced tornadic winds, an earthquake and a raging fire. Yet, it is noted,in each case, God was not in these extraordinary events. Instead it was from a gentle breeze that God finally addressed Elijah.
The lesson seems clear. Most often help comes to us in the quiet, unnoticed, ordinary things of a normal day. Just because we do not see and hear God working, doesn't mean he isn't. Just because problems persist, does not mean we are forsaken. Just because we lose sight of our allies, does not mean there are none.
In short, we may feel like it; we may even tell ourselves it is so, but we are not alone.When you are empowered with KNOWLEDGE , you will have FAITH, you will have STRENGTH and CONFIDENCE and ultimatley you will have a powerful vehicle to carry you through successful and confident decisions you will need to make for your child and your lifestyle.
Our mission and logo was designed to reflect our personal inspirations and philosophies as well as the solid emotional foundation in which got us to the road where we are and continue to travel to . We knew we wanted to help Empower , Educate and Enlighten other parents, caregivers and professionals like ourselves. We are residents of Long Island New York and wanted to be an additional source of information for the parents here in our area. But that does not limit our invitations to our events or workshops to other places. We welcome everyone from everywhere!
We are true believers that it was through our own personal and internal strengths that gave us the drive and motivation to seek knowledge about our children's disability. This in turn created an empowering wealth of information that we carefully assess and utilize to benefit our children. We are not advocates to sway other's into our own beleifs, we simply want to give others tools that might be helpful to their child or for themselves to become more confident participants in their children's lives as well ultimatley give them strength to believe in their abilities and the priceless value they have in this Journey Through Autism.
We call it a "journey" simply because it is a true comparison to what we all face. Some journeys are short, precise and errorlessly successful. Others are long,troublesome and take much effort to reach the final destination. Or some journeys fall right in the middle, there is no firm agenda to where you end up, but ultimatley the lesson they had learned, appreciated and experienced on the roads they traveled.
People's individual perspectives as what they would consider a "success" differ immensly. Many have a higher level of expectation and strive to get to what they beleive is their child's fullest potential.Others, even through the trying times and days of difficuties can still see their children's simple daily triumphants and savor and appreciate them. No one can argue with either one of these. These are your children, your little masterpieces.
We want to help provide you with the motivational,educational and inspirational tools to help make your journey a more prosperous, effective, joyful and enlightening one.
