She always wanted a family of “four” – a dad, mom and 2 children. Apparently, her request was heard differently and God gave her TRIPLET GIRLS just days before her son turned two years old: thus a family with 4 kids! God’s sense of humor is really something! As I watched this mom navigate 4 children under the age of 2, I was ALWAYS in amazement. At the time I had 2 children spaced nearly 3years … [Read more...]
The Simple Life of “Special Needs”
Folks with special needs (often) tend to have lives that are simpler. I didn’t say easy; I said simpler. Over the course of our sons’ span of 39 years of life, it has been interesting to observe how little he wants, how little he asks for, and how little he has. Of course, what he does have is very important, meaningful, and necessary to and for him. Things like his: DVD’s Disney movies … [Read more...]
No, He Won’t Get Better
Do you have those classic questions that people have been asking you over and over again since your unique parenting journey began? You know the ones I mean. That same thing or two you've heard people inquire year after year after year? I know that I have heard one relentless question since the day my son was first diagnosed with Hemophilia A - Severe 18 years ago — "Will he ever get … [Read more...]
How to Rise Above Disappointment
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1) These are the first words I read in my devotional book this morning as I sit on the beach, alone, disappointment hanging over me like a big, black cloud. I watch the waves ebb and flow, leaving rainbow-flecked foam in their wake. I want to give thanks to the Lord, but disappointment makes thanksgiving almost … [Read more...]
Sometimes, a Mom Needs to Be Mothered
"I've got a sinus infection," I texted the friend who was picking me up at an unfamiliar airport in an unfamiliar town. "Do you have any antibiotics?" "We've got your back," she replied. She wasn't kidding. When she delivered me to our destination, she and my other friends had arranged an array of medications on the bathroom counter—everything and more than I needed to beat the nasty bug … [Read more...]
When the World Stares at My Daughter
The little girl walking on the sidewalk ahead of us clutches her mother's hand, but continues to turn around and curiously survey my daughter as she sweeps her white cane back and forth with each step she takes. I smile at the little girl and continue the conversation I'm having with my daughter. It used to bother me when strangers would stare. My daughter was born with her eye condition, … [Read more...]