Photo Source For almost 32 years, my life has been divided into before and after. Before our first child was born, And after he came into our lives. Before the doctor came in to say something was wrong, And after we agreed to send our son to a bigger hospital by ambulance. Before another doctor called with a diagnosis, And after our newborn was life flighted 750 miles away for … [Read more...]
Revisiting Grief
So, you’re going along with life, enjoying the “normal” that we all sometimes crave, and suddenly it bites you in the rear. Grief. That sorrow for things passed, melancholy caused by an empty space in your heart. True, we all face that mourning when we first realize something is wrong, or our child is first diagnosed, or when an injury changes our child’s life forever. In those times of … [Read more...]
When Life Is More Than I Can Handle
When my daughter was born with Down syndrome I felt devastated about her diagnosis. I cried constantly, and I struggled to find hope as I pictured our lives in the days, months, and years to come. One night, as I climbed into bed, I turned to my husband who was ready to go to sleep. I was exhausted by my sadness, and I knew he noticed it too. “The Bible says that God does not give us … [Read more...]
Surrender
“I can teach you how to fly." Those were the words, spoken to me in a dream last year, by a wise woman I call “Macrina/Judi.” Macrina is Macrina Weiderkehr, an author who has accompanied me on my spiritual journey for the past ten years. And Judi is Judi Dench, the actress. In this particular dream, I knew the person speaking to me was Macrina, but she had the face and voice of Judi … [Read more...]
Grief Gone Wrong
To say that grief is a sensitive thing is an understatement. And so when people try to enter in with a few words it's like touching an open wound. And often when people offer words to heal they can unintentionally poke painfully into our open wounds. So many of us are experts at analyzing those words, aren't we? Why they weren't helpful or how it was insensitive. The truth is people are often poor … [Read more...]
The Spiritual Art of Raising Children with Disabilities
I am so excited to share my new book, The Spiritual Art of Raising Children with Disabilities with you! Here is an excerpt from the Introduction, to give you an idea of what it's all about. It was written for you, dear reader! Henri Nouwen is one of the great spiritual teachers of my life. I never met him in person, but I knew him intimately through his books on the spiritual life and his … [Read more...]