Glad I know how to work!

Good Morning!
I often reflect back on my childhood and feel that one of the greatest things my Dad ever taught me was how to work. I think one of the greatest things my Mom ever taught me was how to laugh. This combination has helped me a lot with raising Gavin. For those of you that may not be up to date, Gavin has Down's syndrome, Autism and Crohn's Disease. He certainly has the hugginess of a child with Down's, seems to love everyone unconditionally, and goes out of his way to shake hands or hug some people we meet. This can cause problems, too. When we were waiting in the office for our speech appointment, there was a mom in the waiting room with 2 boys and a girl, ages 6,8 and about 10? He wanted to give the older boy a kiss, and the boy (a macho man)didn't understand why he would do that and was trying to push him away and caused a big scene. Undaunted, he went on to the little brother that reacted in the same way. So did the sister. How do you explain socially acceptable practices to someone that doesn't know the word "stranger"??? Right now at the age of almost 10 yrs. old and at 50 lbs, I can control him to a certain degree. What happens when he weighs 130 lbs. and is 20 years old? This could get interesting!
I had someone ask me if I went to a support group or anything. My response was, well, with support groups for Down's syndrome, Autism and Crohn's disease, which should I choose? I have attended parent support groups for Down's, and they don't address the issues of Autism. The autism support groups don't address his GI issues, which are often tied into his behaviors (pain goes up, behaviors get worse) and the Crohn's doesn't address the developmental challenges. I have become very good at looking up information on the net, and doing my own research. However, this doesn't provide a lot of emotional support. Thus, I often feel lonely and isolated in caring for Gavin. I suppose that ANYONE that provides care for a loved one, whether disabled or elderly feels the same.
In fact, in talking with a friend in MN I mentioned that the level of Gavin's care was like...caring for an elderly parent. She said that my situation was very different, and that if I was caring for an elderly parent, I would be doing that for how long? 6 months? 2 years? 5 years? With Gavin, it is a commitment for more like 50 years? 60 years? Jeez. Will I be around in 60 years? I don't think so, I would be 110 years old and we would both be in Depends!
We are trying to financially plan for those days when both of us are gone, and someone has to care for Gavin, but that would be a blog for another day!
For now, my favorite phrase is CARPE DIEM...(sieze the day!)