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...]
Behind the Special-Needs Scrim
The sanctuary was dark. The air was thick with grief, tension, and anticipation of what we all knew was coming next. But nothing prepared me for what my eyes were about to behold. I was watching our church's Easter pageant from the middle of the large auditorium. We had just witnessed the Passion of Jesus as He had been tortured and crucified. The scene was dark, the people quiet. Suddenly, a … [Read more...]
When There Is More Than One Diagnosis
Lightning can and does strike the same place twice. Ask me how I know. For too many years I subscribed to the delusional belief that if I endured some sort of remarkable challenge, I would be exempt from future struggles or trials. God has made it a life-long lesson to show me the error of my ways, and to reveal the incredible difference He can make with lives that are completely dependent upon … [Read more...]
When Life Is Not a Hallmark Card
It’s true. Misery loves company. And probably the reason one of my favorite shows is The Middle, a sitcom about the misadventures of a mid-western family not very unlike my own. Duct-taped appliances? Special needs teens and a seat-of-the-pants mother? Check. It’s a show that makes me laugh because the Hecks (or rather their script writers) “get it”. Life is a daily walk into the precarious … [Read more...]
Surviving the “Normal” Moments with Special Needs Tweens
I drove up to my daughter’s after school bus stop as the bus drove away. Not seeing her brunette hair as I looked down the street, my heart pounded. “Where is she?” I thought. It was the first day we'd planned for her to stay after school for math tutoring. For almost a month, we’d talked about her starting this week. We walked through the routine at school that morning---which classroom she’d … [Read more...]
Rockwell and Reality
I don’t know about you but I often get caught up in the “wish it was” moments of the Holidays. I so long for that Norman Rockwell picture of the holidays. All of the family together as one big happy family. Sharing gifts. Sharing a beautiful meal. Sharing laughter and memories. Our home isn’t that Norman Rockwell picture. We are broken by hidden disability and it affects that picture. … [Read more...]