Have you ever walked along the shoreline as a storm approached, staggering through churning waters trying to get a foothold as the sand shifted with each step? When you are the parent of a child with a special needs, life can feel like walking alongside a stormy sea. You are always adapting, always reacting and ever alert to make sure your child is safe. Most mornings, you never quite know what … [Read more...]
Audacious Prayer
There are many tools in the box of the special needs parent: humor in a crisis to help dry tears (not my forte), how-to books and hopeful stories to counter “what-if” fears, coffee to keep going after sleepless nights, and Cadbury’s chocolate for pretty much everything else. And prayer. Lots and lots of prayer. Until recently, I thought I knew how to pray. For example, I often use the Lord’s … [Read more...]
Go into Their World and Love Them Where They Are
I remember so vividly Alec's difficult toddler days. My son had less than a handful of words. The days were a series of one tantrum after another. I was a stressed-out mother on the brink of a personal meltdown of my own. Oh, yes, I remember those days. I loved my son desperately, but hadn't a clue how to help him. I obsessively scoured every piece of advice I could find from any expert … [Read more...]
Out on a Limb
Each morning on my drive home from taking my teens to school, I catch myself looking up as I round the first bend in the road to catch a glimpse of something I think perhaps God has placed there just for me. (Or maybe for any driver blessed with ADHD and a tendency to look everywhere but the road.) I look for a little sign of hope that makes me smile every time I see it: a bird nest, held in the … [Read more...]
Until They’re Gone…
Sometimes, raising a child with special needs, there is a constant undercurrent of stress that we don’t even recognize. It takes release of that stress for us to suddenly realize it was there. That’s what happened to me the other day. I hadn’t noticed how much pressure I was under until my daughter was gone. I was half way through my morning shower when the light bulb went on. I don’t have to … [Read more...]
Darkness in a Theater
Update: Emily wrote this post in January of 2014 and has a follow-up piece she wrote in April of 2014. You'll want to be sure to read "Love to the Max" to see how Emily's church and community reached out to Max! We came to see a movie. But I never imagined that we would become the entertainment. Patty and I found our pre-assigned seats and sunk into the plush leather, with Max sandwiched … [Read more...]