As most you know, mia_mcdavid and I have two sons. Both have autistic spectrum disorders. Thomas, the younger, is severely autistic. He is 16 years old and can only speak a few words haltingly. Also, he has serious food allergies, being allergic to gluten (hence wheat and all related grains and their products) and casein (milk protein). Ever since we realized the extent of his disability we have been worried about his future. Who will take care of him when we no longer can? That has become more urgent the last couple years–he is a big, strong teenager, and difficult and even occasionally dangerous for a couple aging boomers to manage at home.

A little over eight years ago we decided to give up everything we had in Chicagoland, where we had lived for decades, and move to Minnesota. This was in the hope of providing for Tom’s future. As Mia recently wrote, it appears that Tom will soon be placed in a group home, with professionals to take care of him. It is a good place–they will do better than we can. It seems we have accomplished what we set out to do, at enormous effort. It is profoundly satisfying and also somewhat scary. What do we do with our lives now?