TSC Talks! Points of Light, Lisa Smith-Advocate, Foster Parent, Mom, "All 100 Sheep"

I recently had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Lisa Smith recently on TSC Talks. I met Lisa through a mutual friend, as is explained in the podcast. I was thrilled to do a podcast with another special needs parent and local to Massachusetts. Lisa is a parent of 22 years old Nick, who experiences nonverbal autism, has adopted several children, and over the years has fostered 27. During our interview not only was Lisa able to draw from and articulate profound experiences and topics in such a way as to not only connect them to her lived experience, but she was also able to illustrate how she’s taken the time to integrate and utilize all of it to further evolve as a soul but to also facilitate trust, healing, and connection for all her children, biological, adopted and fostered. Her words tell the story, her faith guides her. One of the most important points of our discussion was the realization that it is not these children that are “lucky to have her,” but it is she that is lucky to have them.

As a special needs parent myself, this awareness was a true turning point in my understanding of this divine assignment where I became the student and realized my children are my teachers, one that Lisa feels and experiences every day.

“It’s biblical, she said at one point “And when I began to read the Bible, I had learned that some of my actual walks in life, were very biblical… There's a story that says, God got the 99 sheep, but there was one on the hill. He went back for that one. Most people in life. So God has designed me through my journey, not to forget the one.”

“Presence, presence, and presence. And to me? Be present. People always say things like, oh, if I win the lottery, I will do that. And I always tell people all the time I won the lottery five times, five children and people say, oh, they're so lucky to have you, but really….How do I know that I'm going to take care of my disabled son someday? Right? How do I know they're not there to help me when I become disabled someday? We do not know, you know, so we, you know, and, and we don't do it for those selfish reasons. So, we don't do anything to get things, you know, and, and, you know, we do things because that's who we are and that's our heart.”

I appreciated this podcast so much and hope you will too. I feel it was put in front of me by my higher self, as sound bite after sound bite so many of Lisa’s words not only related to me personally but also inspired and challenged me. Her faith in God is huge and expansive but she shares honestly the hard truths she’s faced personally to get to where she is now. Thanks, Lisa, for all the ways you are serving a higher calling and being willing to share your journey with me and this audience.

An article about Lisa Smith: https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/archive/2012/04/27/taunton-mom-using-what-she/38199711007/

Time stamps to be added!

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