QB

Today I heard that someone I cared for in a group home passed away today. I'll call him QB. He was a client who was 'very difficult' to work with. QB was the first autistic client I have ever had. His autism was bigger than all of us.

Autism is difficult to say the least. More for the person suffering with it than anyone else. QB was often in a lot of pain. He had emotional scars from his years in an institution and they were scars that never left.

My favorite QB story:

One Sunday we were attending church and QB loved church. There was something in going to church that touched QB's spirit and often when he was the most agitated he would calm down being around God's people.

It was Communion Sunday and at this particular church the juice and the bread were left on tables spread around the auditorium and people could come up to the table and take their juice and bread whenever they wished to do so during the service. Kinda like a self-service.

QB had no capacity in himself to go and serve himself communion. It's just not something he could have ever done. He was sitting in one of the chairs and a worker who had come along to church said, 'i think i'll go get QB communion'. But what he didn't know was that his wife had the same idea and she had gone up to the communion table and gotten juice and bread for QB. Because J, the worker went to a different place in the auditorium they both landed at the same time beside QB wanting to serve him communion.

QB had had a rough week and it was by anyone's account a challenge to get him to go to church and to sit still. But there he was, sitting still and not causing any disruption.

J and his wife both had the sacraments in their hands and realized they had both gotten the same thing for QB so they did what any God fearing Christians would do. They served him twice. After the second time J's wife said, 'you're going to get a double blessing today QB'.

And that's just what happened. QB sat quietly and took what was offered to him. And then he started to cry. The cry turned into full blown sobs and soon he was convulsing in tears. I've never seen anything like it. Crying was foreign to QB, I'm not sure he had ever done it before or if he ever did it again.

Something in QB's spirit responded that day to the unconditional love offered to him through a couple of servants of the Lord. God met him in his deepest need and for that day he was at peace.

Rest in peace QB, you're finally home to rest. Jesus is welcoming you with open arms and letting you know it's ok now, you're home.