Miracles in Meltdowns - Devotional for Autism Parents

The toll it can take 🙁

Uplifting all Autism parents, praying they'll have loving support around them - makes me realise just how blessed we are to have my famz and a growing community that 'see' and are willing to help where possible.
If not for God - we'd be a mess - that's a fact!

Behind so many closed doors are families barely hanging on. Parents of autistic children—especially those with high support needs—are facing unimaginable stress. Some are living in survival mode every day. Many are doing it alone. Some have no support. Some are still waiting for it to arrive… years later.

As a parent of a non-speaking autistic child, I know the love is fierce—but so is the weight.

**We’re incredibly blessed to have the support that we do—**a tight-knit aiga, an understanding church, and access to some services, knowledge, resources that many families go without. 💙

But I know too many others don’t. And that is heartbreaking.
Even with the support we do have, I can honestly say—it’s only by the grace of God that we keep going. 🙏
Our faith anchors us. Jesus holds us.

In the chaos, in the meltdowns, in the sleepless nights and impossible decisions—we are carried.

But no family should feel they have to walk this road alone.

This is not a post for pity.
This is a call for support.
For understanding.
For policy change.
For community care.
For listening.
For seeing us.

🙏 We need more respite.
🙏 We need trained carers.
🙏 We need mental health support for parents.
🙏 We need school systems that don’t force children out.
🙏 We need churches, workplaces, and communities to open their arms without judgment.

And we need to know we’re not alone.

If you’re reading this and you’re a parent in the thick of it, please know—you are not invisible. Your love, your tears, your strength—it all matters. 💙
You are not failing. You are faithfully showing up. And God sees it all.

If you’re reading this and you're not a parent of an autistic child—check in on someone who is. Offer a meal, a break, or just your ears. You don’t have to understand everything to care.

Let’s not wait for another tragedy to act. Let’s be the village.

This broke my heart. 💔💔

A 47-year-old mother took the life of her son, Esteban, a child with autism—and then took her own.

Before she did, she wrote a letter to her husband, Fernando Cuello.
In it, she poured out everything she had been carrying alone—the pain, the exhaustion, the deep loneliness.

She wrote:
“Now you’ll be able to live your life, you won’t have to travel anymore. All I asked for was a hug for Esteban and me, a kiss in the morning before you went to work. We didn’t ask for much… We won’t beg you for more. You’ll remember us for the rest of your life.”

That line shattered me.
All she wanted was presence. A hug. A kiss. A little love.

But in the absence of support, of affection, of care—
She broke under the weight of it all.

This isn’t just about one tragedy.
It’s about so many mothers who fight silent battles every single day.
No help. No rest. No one to lean on.

We don’t talk enough about this—
Mental health. Emotional abandonment. The quiet suffering that happens behind closed doors.

It doesn’t take grand gestures to make someone feel loved.
Sometimes, all a person needs is a hug. A little effort. A sign that they are seen. That they matter.

So if you know someone who seems tired, withdrawn, or barely holding on—
Check on them. Hug them. Listen to them.

Sometimes, that’s all it takes to save a life.

Happy Mother’s Day, beautiful autism mum.

Do you sometimes scroll past those “perfect” Mother's Days posts and wonder if anyone sees your version of motherhood?

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come."
— Proverbs 31:25 (NIV)

Today might not look like a slow breakfast in bed, a day off, or a Pinterest-worthy moment. Maybe you’re still running on two hours sleep.
Maybe your child doesn’t know what today means, or can’t say “I love you” with words. Maybe the meltdown started before you could open a card.

But here’s what I want you to hear:
You are doing the impossible every day.
You are doing all the usual mum stuff—packing lunches, cleaning messes, listening to sibling squabbles—and on top of that, you’re managing therapies, decoding behaviours, filling out funding forms, calming storms, and navigating an entire world on your child’s behalf.

You are seen. Not just for the big, brave moments—but for every quiet decision to show up with love when you feel like collapsing. God sees it all. And He celebrates you today.

You might not get the recognition the world gives other mums—but Heaven sees you as a warrior in worship, a mum who loves like Jesus: relentlessly, sacrificially, beautifully.

To the mum holding it together for her child with extra needs...
To the mum doing it alone…
To the mum whose child can’t say “Happy Mother’s Day,” but shows love in other ways…
To the mum grieving the dreams she thought motherhood would look like…
To the mum holding hope for tiny steps of progress…
You are not forgotten. You are loved. You are doing enough.

To every mum in the trenches today—Happy Mother’s Day. You are a walking miracle. There is beauty even here. And yes—there are Miracles in the Meltdowns.

Lord, thank You for every mother who’s reading this right now—especially the ones who feel like they’re barely holding it together. Today, meet her in the middle of her mess. Remind her that You see the parts no one claps for. Remind her that her love is enough. Give her moments of grace today, and if not rest—then laughter. If not perfection—then peace. Amen

There’s a reason you thought of her.
💛 This might be the most meaningful gift she’ll receive this Mother’s Day.

📖 *Miracles in Meltdowns: Daily Encouragement for Parents of Autistic Children* — hope, humour, song and truth.
🔗 https://www.tetelestai.life/miraclesinmeltdowns

He wasn’t happy hearing the word hospital 🏥 this morning - but we put something he’d look forward to in the mix …
“Shower - Hospital - Mitre10” (Mitre also means he gets a new truck and milkshake 😎🙌🏽)
Supposed to have a hospital appointment, but no car parks after driving around for ages - I had gone ahead to Suss things out so that Sammy didn’t have to wait, as we know that’s just asking for a meltdown. We rescheduled - after they had rescheduled our appointment 5 times already!!
Had to keep the promise of Mitre10.
I went ahead to order food so that there wasn’t any waiting and also so his fries could cool down - hot food can also bring on meltdowns
I had been waiting a good 20 minutes with food on the table for Sam and Sammy. They turned up, but I had forgotten that Sammy would want to sit at the same table he always does 🤓, so we had to move all our food to his “usual” table.
Autism awareness … not “precious-parenting,” this is autism parenting and trying to keep peace for all of us … and the public spaces we enter 😂

She makes it look easy, but you know it isn’t.
Let her know you see the strength behind her smile.

📖 *Miracles in Meltdowns: Daily Encouragement for Parents of Autistic Children* — hope, humour, song and truth.
🔗 https://www.tetelestai.life/miraclesinmeltdowns

Had to share today's devotional before the day is out!

Today's worship song: We need you Lord, Jonathan Butler
https://open.spotify.com/track/2CeQtTJ95InlUHfQVqSdvK?si=0b956eb3f6ad42da

📖 *Miracles in Meltdowns: Daily Encouragement for Parents of Autistic Children* — hope, humour, song and truth.
🔗 https://www.tetelestai.life/miraclesinmeltdowns

There are parts of her journey no one claps for.
💛 Share a gift that reminds her God sees it all.

📖 *Miracles in Meltdowns: Daily Encouragement for Parents of Autistic Children* — hope, humour, song and truth.
🔗 https://www.tetelestai.life/miraclesinmeltdowns