Archer's Journey

This blog has been manifesting for quite sometime, the emotions to be expressed are so eminently raw. I have been drafting the post for months and I finally came to realization that it will never be perfectly expressed, so I might as well let it go... hmm the message of the entire post. Other posts have been fighting for their appearance, yet something kept holding me back, so here it is the long awaited message, with it a release! Now I can keep writing and sharing our story.  It’s what I preach, “May you let it go!” With hope, I desire in my teachings of yoga to guide the soul thru a transformation of physically, mentally, and emotionally letting go. When teaching, I mindfully sculpt my words for others, to draw insights into a posture embracing openness, to allow space for vulnerability, to create awareness of the moment, to give way and honor weakness, and to meaningfully release. No matter how big or small the change, I strive for it to be an evolution, to exude a connect

More often than not when Archer encounters something new, be that a new environment or introduced to a new object, even a new onlooker, the most frequent first comment out of one's mouth is "Oh, he looks sleepy." Well, NO he isn't sleepy, this is what I'm so kindly saying to myself. Then its my decision to make a remark OUT loud. At this moment, I decide what will be my response, however there are many factors that go into this next remark. Of course, I strive to be a constant advocate for my child, but first I must check in to my emotional capacity at the moment. Is this worth my time and energy to be frank, and go into the long saga about his visual impairment, teach the lesson? Or do I take a moment to step away from advocacy and completely divert the comment? Do I make up an excuse about his deduced sleepiness? Or do I just gut it, give no comment, and continue on with our day. This is a fine line that I walk on a daily basis, multiple times throughout the day

The days are counting down and we are about to experience and feel the love of our community. Many will come, some may not, all will be holding Archer close to their hearts this Friday evening, May 1st. The original blog post featured a slideshow of just a few of the silent auction items (50+) that have been donated by Archers community. His community is not just within the city limits of Dillon, it extends beyond the county line, and even the state line of Montana. We have had silent auction items sent across the Pacific ocean and from the mountains of Colorado and the plains of the mid-west. I'm sure if we combined hands we would reach across the world in a circle of prayer. Our family has gained the strength from those around us. We have found courage to share our story. Now, we must be brave to explore into the world of raising a child with complex needs. We were raised in the Rocky Mountains for a reason, to learn that there are peaks and valleys, a natural

Today you have a choice. You must get from point A to B there are 3 traveling options. There is no time frame, it's not a race nor competition, you decide. Route A: On the Freeway, traveling at higher speeds, plugged into your blue tooth participating in a meeting while eating your breakfast, your calendar dinging reminding you of other engagements, rush hour traffic of stop and go, but you still got to point be in an hour. Whew accomplishing so much. almost as if you were on auto-pilot. Route B: On the two lane highway, windows rolled down, the breeze blowing in your hair, cruise control set, but below the speed limit so you can enjoy enjoy the landscape while being safe driving. You arrived to point B in a few hours and got to see a bald eagle, you braked for a family of deer to cross the road, you for the most part were in the moment. Route C: Taking the backroads, the roads that do not even have posted speed limits, the roads that one vehice fits down, no cell s

This journey of Archers life will not keep us indoors and ban us from living a 'normal' life. The wonderful community of Dillon has teamed up to help us 'Archer, Brandon, & Cheyanne' the ABC Sparks family to raise awareness for our little guy and help fund our travels to seek the specialized care. We have to jump into the cockpit and navigate who will see and care for our little boy. Not one doctor has the answers and with Archer's unique make-up we will be seeking out the best care for him. His team has evolved so much in just a year within the state of Montana. At the age of 10 weeks old Archer visited his first neurologist and now has seen 2 additional neurologists, 2 different genetic teams (the 3rd team is currently gearing up for the next phase of testing), 2 occupational therapist, 2 physical therapists, a speech pathologist, 1 cranial sacral therapist, 1 vision consultant, an ophthalmologist, 3 adaptive equipment outreach workers, not too m