Thanks Mike Binkley and WCCO!

Watch WCCO reporter Mike Binkley's report on Jimmy.  Thanks Mike!

Here it is: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/10061529-local-artist-with-autism-gets-international-attention/ 

Jimmy Reagan "Selfie" in the works

Respite…turn off to turn on

I returned from a much needs vacation with my husband last night. We stayed at a lovely resort in Mexico. Over the last 25 years when Brian and I vacation without kids, it’s usually full of lots of activity with a go go mentality.  This last year seemed to be so full of daily go go that I felt it would be best for us to go and sit…turn off everything…phone, computer, demands of any kind.  So this is what we did.  

"Italian Coast" by Jimmy Reagan - the Caribbean in
Mexico looks just like the water in this painting. 

While in Mexico, I noticed many things….families and couples enjoying the sun and beaches…..couples, kids and parents next to each other on their iPads…ear buds in….texting someone other than the person they were with.  There is an iPhone commercial that illustrates this situation and it has bothered me for sometime.  I saw it in action in Mexico.

Brian and I wanted to be in the moment….with each other….so we turned off electronics.   My kids often tell me these days that I am distracted not hearing what they are saying…not paying attention….distracted by communications.  I understand…..and it makes me sad.  All the gadgets in our lives…they make things more convenient….but, what impact do they have on our relationships with each other? We are gathering every piece of information from every source…except what is right next to us….in front of us….with us in the moment.

" Man with Pipe" by Jimmy Reagan
This is Jimmy's portrait of Matisse. I was finishing a
fascinating book on Matisse while in Mexico

Hotel employees greeted us with smiles and hellos….how can we help…..what are you interested in…..seemingly interested in me/us and in the moment that they were helping to create.  Mexican hotel workers quickly attending to our every need always knowing my name and looking me in the eye….they were listening and not distracted….they were paying attention….this was so appealing.  Now, you might say…hotel workers are doing their job….but, I think it is more than that….they appreciate that we chose to visit their hotel and they were grateful for us….really grateful and genuinely interested in us. I was particularly taken by their efforts to make eye contact given how absent it seemed to be with hotel guests.

Brian and I got to know the staff at the restaurant where we ate breakfast each morning chatting with the staff and learning about their lives in Cancun.  On our last morning, Rodger, the café manager, kindly asked if we enjoyed our stay.  We responded with profuse thanks and approval.  He mentioned that each morning before service he met with his staff and shared with them comments he’d received both good and bad.  “I use this as motivation and I will share your nice comments with our staff.” Brian and I felt that the staff  (who made our stay so lovely and who likely didn’t earn very much money) was happy for their job and did their best for us.  Brian and I both thought it was important to write to note to Rodger and his staff. 

I carry Jimmy’s note cards with me when I travel. Brian and I were so touched by Rodger that we decided to give him some of Jimmy’s cards and we wrote a note to his staff.  Brian went to check out of the hotel and while I delivered  the note and cards to Rodger.  Rodger was clearly touched by the jesture.  He profusely thanked me....we hugged and said goodbye. While waiting for Brian to complete checkout…Rodger came running up the stairs….Mrs. and Mr. Reagan I need to show you something.  He had his phone in his hand…..”your cards mean so much to me… I want to show you my youngest son, he has Downs….he’s such a smart and good boy.”  Brian and I proudly watched a video of Rodger’s beautiful young son.  Jimmy’s cards gave him hope and we shared a commonality.  Our last engagement with Rodger will have a lasting impact on Brian and me.

"Girl from France" by Jimmy Reagan
Eye contact is a recurrent theme for Jimmy and
is illusive for many with autism.  His painting subjects make direct eye
contact drawing the viewer into the work.

I like being turned off….it refreshed my spirit and helped me better recognize all the good in my life. I will make a concerted effort to "turn off" so that I better see what is in front of me and beside me.    

Vote for Jimmy Reagan

Vote for Jimmy Reagan on See Me.

Here is a link: https://throughjimmyseyes.see.me https://throughjimmyseyes.see.me

THANK YOU!

It's been a while.......here's to 2014...Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I've written a blog post.  I have to say that it's been a long year in many ways and I'm glad we are into 2014! Jimmy has struggled with his health this year and when he struggles...we all struggle.  Jimmy's siblings are rock stars as are all sibs of kids in the spectrum.  As my daughter reminded me the other day, my kids "norm" isn't the same as other kids norm.  We all learn to deal with the challenges that are given to us and manage as best we can.

Kelly, Jack, Jimmy, Patrick, Ned
Gracie and Maggie

We've been working with doctors at the U of MN and have just begun a new "cocktail" of meds that will hopefully turned around all the trouble in Jimmy's gut. I am optimistic. 2013 seemed be a year highlighted by highs and lows beginning last April when Jimmy left the house and entered a stranger's home.  Police located him and returned him to us.  The stranger was kind and extraordinarily helpful. Was a terrifying experience for all of us. Hence, we have a "new norm".  It had been years since we had to worry about Jimmy leaving the house without our knowledge. Shortly after his "escape,"  Jimmy signed his name upside down and backwards on an oil pastel. I questioned him why he signed as he did....he responded "sick." Once scoped last summer, "sick" explained a lot.  He was miserable.

"Face" Oil Pastel on Paper 2013

I am hopeful that 2014 will be full of even keel and boring with regard to Jimmy's health. I hope that we can develop another more positive "new norm."

Man of the World - 36"x48"
Acrylic on Canvas 2013

Today, I created a video showing Jimmy painting his largest piece to date titled, Man of the World. This painting was certainly a highlight as his work continues to change. Check it out.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zQgB5eG2Tc&feature=em-upload_owner

Thank you to all of you that support our family in so many ways.  I am grateful for the host of people that  we call friends.

Am looking forward to 2014.  Cheers to all of you for a marvelous 2014!

They’re off!

Scores of high school, college and recently graduated college boys and girls have graced our home this summer. I’ve gotten to know a few new kids and grown closer to those we’ve spent countless hours with over the years. All of these young adults have shown kindness and compassion towards our family and Jimmy. I am so grateful for these kids whose interests represent a wide range activities and skills.  Their best trait is that they are all fine human beings.

Kelly, Jack, Jimmy, Patrick and Ned 1997

This summer was a difficult one for our family from the standpoint that Jimmy has been struggling since last spring.  As we work to find solutions for his challenging healthcare issues, his behavior and sleep patterns are often aberrant leaving our family exhausted.    

Each of our kids has a close group of friends, Ned: Mitch, Michael, Brian, JT and Renner: Patrick: Luke, Andy, Shane, Alec (a host of girls too); Jack: Chris, Janey, Ben, JP and Pat; Kelly: Laura, Coco and Noelle as well as her host of friends in Boston who snap chat, text and call. I’ll call this group, “The Kids”.  I am so grateful for the support that “The Kids” offer my kids.  They need the support and I appreciate the countless acts of kindness that are shown to our children.

Josh Harrod, Kelly, Jimmy,
Jack, Patrick and Ned 2012
Sea Bird Island, Florida

We delivered Patrick and Jack to St John’s University in Collegeville last Thursday.  Three weeks prior to leaving for SJU, we found out that Patrick had to have surgery on his arm. Not the best situation to show up at SJU in a cast unable to move his own things into school.  But, that was okay because the SJU swim/dive team came to help move Patrick into his room.  Patrick will be swimming and diving for SJU this year. The coach called last week as did the team captain to report that they would move Patrick into his room.  I have a feeling we will have additions to “The Kids” group.

Ned started school yesterday as junior at St. Thomas Academy.  Ned and his pals stopped at our house before football practice yesterday.  Last Wednesday night when we were plating up our back to school dinner, Ned grabbed a goblet and it broke in his hand sending us to the ER for stitches in his hand.  Happily, he is

St Thomas Academy Football Team

back to football today with a wrap over the stitches. I am amazed at how quickly 16 year old boys change in a summer. Ned and his friends look more like men this school year than the boys they were last spring.

Today, my house is clean and picked up.  The beds are made.  The throws are neatly folded on the couches. The dishes are done and the garbage isn’t full. The countless numbers of shoes, socks, shorts, towels and swimsuits are back in their places.  This past summer my house was littered with all these things and I didn’t really mind.  I was glad to have the house full of happy people.

To “The Kids” and my kids…...have a fabulous school year and we’ll be here for you.

What's in a Signature Part II

Jimmy presenting his painting "Girl from Egypt" in
May 2013 at the Owatonna Center for the Arts 

As many of know, verbal language is a challenge for Jimmy on a daily basis.  Jimmy’s emergence as an artist began with illness.  In May of 2013, Jimmy presented his art to a large group at the Owatonna Center for the Arts.  After the presentation, a woman asked me if I thought we would have discovered Jimmy’s love of art if he hadn’t gotten sick.  I didn’t have to think for very long as I answered, “no, I don’t think that we would have found art for him.” Until Jimmy was in 6^th grade, I always imagined him in college.  He was smart.  He had a great memory….sure, he’d need supports…but, I never gave up the idea of college for him until his health so severely eroded and the words he had gained slipped away… only then, I gave up my dream for him.  I discouraged school staff from mainstreaming Jimmy for classes like art and music even though he enjoyed both. Many kids with special needs are only mainstreamed for classes that I would consider to have had less “meat” than reading,  math, science and social studies. I didn’t want him shuffled into these classes as it signified for me, I’d given up on him. 

Jimmy at Good Purpose Gallery in Lee, MA with his paintings
"Goodbye Ron",
"Girl in the Forrest", "Elizabeth" and "Jim" 

In many school settings, kids with special needs get placed into art and music classes for mainstreaming.  Jimmy was great at social studies and science.  He could read well. So, I was not hot on Jimmy being in art class as a means of mainstreaming…..where would this get him in the future??? Jimmy was mainstreamed for many classes that I felt had "meat".  So, he had less time for art and music.  Although, he did take them.  Instead of choir class, Jimmy played baritone in the middle school band...a first for the middle school and he was good at it. It was only when he got sick and we were trying to find a way to engage him that we discovered his true love of and motivation for art.  He loves learning about artists.  He spends hours during the week reading about artists.  I print articles and he loves reading about famous artists …seems to never get old for him.  I don't regret not learned about his art aptitude until he was older as he learned many valuable skills in the mainstream classes that he took.  It helped us to learn how he learned when he felt well.

"Mad Cat" 11"x14" Oil Pastel on Paper, 2013 inspired
by Dutch Expressionists

In 2008 as Jimmy’s health improved, his artwork provided a voice for him.  Those who saw his artwork began to see him differently and see potential.  His artwork was certainly a catalyst for improving his sense of self and wellbeing. 

Jimmy works hard to communicate to us how he feels.  I have often referred to him as the blade of grass that grows through the tar…come hell or high water, he will make his point. When he was about 5, he taught himself sign language over the course of a weekend after my daughter brought a sign language book home from school.  Verbal language was illusive to him at that time.  We all learned how to sign the alphabet and used this for several years with Jimmy. …it was concrete, visual and made sense to him. He taught us how to best communicate with him at the time. We still occasionally use signing to lead him to verbalize. 

Jimmy’s art continues to be his voice for us as a family.  His art speaks volumes to us as it often helps to tell us how he feels.  Over the last several months, his sketchbook has shown panic, rash work lacking detail and the quality we’ve grown to know. Although he still is producing very interesting works, it isn’t at the same pace that it had been.  He recently produced a very interesting piece called, “Face.”  He created this piece from a close up black and

"Face" 11"x14" Oil Pastel on Paper, 2013

white photo of a face.  He outlined the light and dark parts of the face on the photo with a pen and translated what he saw to paper with oil pastel and loads of color. This is a technique that he often uses.  When I posted the piece on Facebook.  I was stunned at what people saw in the piece….one elephant, two elephants, one face, two faces, a fish and a dog.  It is a very interesting piece.  Last week, he had to sign several new pieces before I had them scanned.  Since early May, we have been back and forth with doctors as he’s been losing weight, not sleeping, vomiting and complaining of stomach pain. He was struggling the day I asked him to sign his works. So, I shouldn't have been surprised when he signed “Face” upside down in yellow.  The upside down yellow signature was barely visible. Then he took an oil pastel and covering up the yellow signature….I said, “hey, Jim your name is upside down.  With intent, he took a darker color and signed upside down again in the same place.  He looked at me and said, “sick.” Clearly, he was making a point with me…he must feel upside down….”sick.” 

After being scoped last week, we can confirm his pain and illness.  Resolution of his conditions are another story.  But, we are on the complicated path to reduce his pain and put him back on strong footing.

"Girl from Egypt" Jimmy's work
will be
included in a
special installation
at the Northern Trust Collectors Lounge
 (or other location tbd)
at EXPO CHGO,
September 19th through the 22nd
on Navy Pier. 

So, what’s in a signature for Jimmy?  His signature tells us who he is and now how he feels.