Imagine delivering a beautiful baby girl. Your heart is hopeful, and life is renewed. Witnessing the miracle of life is humbling and awe inspiring. My heart was filled to the brim as I met my little girl, my Bella. She was beautiful. Curly hair, dark lashes, pink skin, and the most perfect little fingers and toes. Yet, these words, “Why do anything?” were ones my husband, Rick, and I heard … [Read more...]
Sharing in the Sorrow of Others
Yesterday, I pushed a cart around the store, grabbed coffee with friends, indulged in pizza with my husband while overlooking the blindingly sparkling Pacific, took my recyclables to their new home in big blue bins, picked my daughter up from school--that yesterday…in that span of 24 hours, two mamas lost their boys. I got home from the day, checked my Facebook feed, and came across the … [Read more...]
Healing Prayers and Promises in Disability Parenting
I just finished reading a national bestseller on prayer that, frankly, was very hard to finish. What grieved me most was a story about a pastor who counseled a young couple of a child with autism. The pastor opened his Bible to a random page, read a random passage of scripture about Abraham’s offspring forever speaking God’s word, and then claimed it as a promise that this couple’s nonverbal child … [Read more...]
Trusting In God In the Midst of Trial
Stephen was stoned to death. He trusted in God completely, even as he was being falsely accused, he trusted in God and he still lost his life. My husband preached about Stephen on Sunday and I kept thinking about our own family, our own trials, our own suffering, how disability impacts us and how often I cry out to God to help me, to help our family. Trusting in God in the midst of trial … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving: Finding God in the turmoil of special needs parenting
My daughter once accused her older brother of opening his eyes during dinner prayer, not realizing, of course, she implicated herself in the process. Classic. But last week the violator of the “Super-Spiritual Guide to Prayer Protocol” wasn’t 10 years old, she was 49. Guilty as charged, I opened my eyes mid-prayer when a woman in my prayer group said a surprising thing: “Thank you, God, for the … [Read more...]
Our Children: A Tapestry of God’s Grace {Guest Post by Jeff Davidson}
(Read to the end of the post to find out how to win a copy of Jeff's new book, No More Peanut Butter Sandwiches). For eighteen nights in a row I had walked down the street to the willow tree by the side of the creek. For eighteen nights I had raged at God, shouted at God, and questioned whether he even existed. For eighteen days in a row I had cried. God had defied my plans, dreams, … [Read more...]