As last Friday came around (September 11), I kept seeing posts about "never forget," missing loved ones who left us that September day 14 years ago. It really made me think about not forgetting where we came from, my son and I. I will never forget when he couldn't talk at all at even age 3. He couldn't tell us his basic needs. He would take my hand and bring it to the thing he wanted. … [Read more...]
The Lovely Wreckers
My mother used to say, “I can’t have anything nice with kids in the house!” She didn’t so much say it as she did wail it. We were the kids who came swinging in through the kitchen window feet first from the eaves of the roof, or accidentally lit the garage on fire. The security system in the house was basically just a trigger mechanism for the neighbor’s rage. His first thought, I’m guessing, … [Read more...]
Anxious Minds
“I have a theory about Caillou,” Noah says. I have been bent over, picking things up in the front hallway. My three have been away from me, testing the patience of my parents for two weeks while I've finished my next book. So this mess, today? I’m okay with it. It’s proves they’re here. And I’ve missed them fiercely. “Dying, huh? Well, this should be interesting.” I stand up and face him. I … [Read more...]
WHY DOESN’T SHE PLAY WITH KIDS HER OWN AGE?
Isolation. Rarely is the bone-aching pain of special needs so completely summed up in one word. The word conjures up images of life going on while the unpopular and unfit are left behind; the loneliness of hours upon hours dragging on with no phone calls, no visits from friends, no invitations from others come to mind; being marginalized, ignored, treated as an annoyance, or unlovable by everyone … [Read more...]
Victory in the Seeming Loss of Special Needs Advocacy
It was a verbal game of chess. Winner takes all. If my son won the argument, we would return home. If I won, we would get out of the car and walk into the church. When John added a new reason why he didn’t want to go inside, I was sure he’d made a fatal mistake. He said he felt “stood up,” as he attended church each week. I countered with a correction, “’Stood up’ means showing up and no one is … [Read more...]
Power In The Body of Christ
Have you ever had one of those days (weeks, months) where you just felt like giving up? Yup. I thought so. We all have days, weeks or months like that. Especially those of us who live with children or adults with significant disabilities. Our son Joel, who has autism, has been having a rough time lately. A hospitalization for depression last fall. A 6 week manic spurt this spring that … [Read more...]