Are you spinning out of control? The bills are piling up. The IEP meetings are so stressful. My child’s behaviors are getting more severe. You haven’t gone out to dinner in forever. You worry about the future of your child. Your marriage is struggling. We have to go to so many different doctor appointments. You are struggling with your job or you are … [Read more...]
Teaching Empathy to Siblings
Last Christmas our son Calvin came with us to his sibling's school music program. The church was lit with bright lights; Calvin (very visually impaired) was thrilled that he could see something. He spent most of the time craning his neck backwards and flinging his arms in excitement. A few benches over a kid started laughing, “Why is he acting so weird? He keeps looking backwards.” Calvin's big … [Read more...]
The Spiritual Art of Raising Children with Disabilities
I am so excited to share my new book, The Spiritual Art of Raising Children with Disabilities with you! Here is an excerpt from the Introduction, to give you an idea of what it's all about. It was written for you, dear reader! Henri Nouwen is one of the great spiritual teachers of my life. I never met him in person, but I knew him intimately through his books on the spiritual life and his … [Read more...]
The Shadow of Suffering and The Presence of God
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death... (2 Corinthians 1:8-9) I do not know exactly what Paul experienced in Asia. I can guess it might have been something comparable to (or worse than) the … [Read more...]
Finishing the Course
Two things converged recently that provided a moment of clarity. I don’t know about you but that seems to be much of the story for me. I will go along and go along and go along as if I am learning NOTHING and then clarity comes (or comes again) and I think, “Of course it is that way.” Our son finally achieved his Eagle Scout a week ago. He had worked on this goal since he started as a Cub Scout … [Read more...]
The Power in Your Story
I remember the feeling of awe I had when I first connected to the Internet in the mid 1990's. I was amazed that suddenly I could connect with people from all over the world. I began blogging about my families' journey with autism in 2004, and I did it simply to record our story. I wanted to have a way to look back and be encouraged by Alec's progress whenever I was having a hard day. I never … [Read more...]