Do you have fears for your children? What do you worry about or think about daily? Is there something more on your mind that bothers you about the future of your child? *Mature material included in this blog I have a confessional. One of the things I think about the most and have the most thoughts about is protecting my son Charlie. I mean protecting Charlie from others who want to take … [Read more...]
Saving Up the Hard Stuff
“So much will change,” they say, pointing to your swollen belly, nearly giddy with the kind of knowledge that only experience supplies. “Your life will never be the same!” I know, you think smugly. I’ve heard it, I’ve read it, it’s the mantra you mothers all repeat. But they’re right, of course. While things will change, many of those changes are expected: those that arise from the training of … [Read more...]
The Nature of Things
At 9:30 in the morning, the small swish of paper brushing across my bedroom’s wooden floor woke me. My husband Matt was at the Ravens game with some friends. There had been an early curtain call for the pre-game frivolity, so he’d been gone for some time. The night before had been a late one, and I’d overslept. Meaning, I was already frustrated. Unless there’s a nuclear winter and all the alarm … [Read more...]
Invisible Diagnoses and the God Who Sees
Most times, when faced with a writing project, I’ll fold up the laptop’s screen and breathe in, ready to unpeel a new word and lay it flat. Most times, I am excited, knowing that we’ll discover things together, you and me. Other times, I will share with you something that slashes me sideways and leaves my mother’s heart bleeding. That is when the writing hurts. Today, every keystroke burns a … [Read more...]
Parents, God Has Not Forgotten Your Dreams
A month ago I took a huge risk with my special needs family. And it paid off. It began almost twenty years ago when, as a 21 year old exchange student in Europe, I discovered the needs of people across the globe through weekly prayer meetings. My heart began to beat for villages with no clean water, societal violence toward women, entire groups of people ignored and left to die because of their … [Read more...]
She Calls Me Mama
She calls me what her brothers don’t. Because they are boys, most likely, or perhaps because they are impatient and "MOM!" hollered from somewhere else is easier to get out of their mouths. Loudly. Grace is walking up the stairs, calling my name before she reaches the top. But it’s not the “Mom!” of Noah’s tween insistence. It’s her calling, “Mama?” It is sweet and gentle. And it lasts only … [Read more...]