Deer in the headlights. Blindsided. Shocked. Suffocating pain. It's what comes to mind when I think back to the early years of dealing with my son's losses. Six years ago I wandered about in a numb state, unable to wrap my head around the fact that my son had extensive brain damage and would never recover. I got up, faced the days and even attempted normal conversation but inside I wished life … [Read more...]
All I Want For Christmas Is To Not Be Your Project
It’s the season of giving. As we remember a Savior who left the glory and comfort of heaven to move into our mess, we all feel compelled to celebrate with charity and extra acts of kindness. At no other time of year is a dark and hurting world more receptive to the hope of Jesus that we joyously pour out of ourselves. Yet, there’s something more behind this perennial philanthropy that eats at … [Read more...]
What Is This Thing Called Prayer?
Last night my dear friend Alysia called to talk. As a youth group leader I mentored Alysia throughout her middle and high school years. In college, she joined our leadership team. During those years I was raising three sons. Joel, our youngest, was diagnosed with autism on that journey. After graduating with a nursing degree Alysia married and had seven children. She and her husband are … [Read more...]
Will It Be All Right? (And What if You Aren’t Sure?)
I know you’re weary. I feel it, too. I feel it deep in my bones before my feet hit the floor in the still-dark hours of the early morning. I feel it... weariness. I'm so tired of a broken world full of darkness unspeakable. Tired of shoulders hunched from the heavy load of caring for family. My cheeks are red from the frustration of mothering a child with special needs and a teen struggling … [Read more...]
What Fruit Do You Have?
What fruit do you have? That is what someone asked me once. I didn't know what they were talking about at first. I was thinking real life fruit that I eat? They laughed a little and said, "no the fruit of the spirit." I started to recite out loud Galations 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control … [Read more...]
For parents who aren’t ready to celebrate Down syndrome during Down syndrome Awareness Month
For parents who aren't ready to celebrate Down syndrome (This is a post author Gillian Marchenko (Sun Shine Down) shares every year in October for Down syndrome Awareness Month. If you are a new parent or a seasoned parent to a child with Down syndrome, wherever you are in the journey today, Gillian is here to tell you it is okay.) I read a blog yesterday from a mother of a child … [Read more...]