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...]
The Perfect Family
It was Sunday—the Lord’s Day—and Mother’s Day. As we sat in the restaurant waiting for our dinner to be served, I glanced across the room and was captivated by a rather beautiful sight: A father and mother sitting at a table with five pretty daughters ranging in age from (maybe) twelve to nineteen years old. They were smiling, laughing and talking. The girls were dressed nicely and it appeared … [Read more...]
Elevators, Bathrooms, and Car Trunks
Elevators. Bathrooms. Car trunk. What could those three random items possibly have in common?As it turns out, quite a lot for my 1960s family that included a father who had multiple sclerosis (MS) and used a wheelchair. Dad's mobility was dependent upon... Elevators He loved department stores that had them. Because elevators meant he could join his wife and kids while we shopped for school … [Read more...]
Family Life with Autism: Welcome to the Cincinnati Zoo
I’m jolted from sleep when the heat-seeking-body-missile of my 24-year-old son lands next to me on the bed. I pry open sleep-encrusted eyes to encounter Joel’s face, two inches from my own. He grins, giving me an up-close view of his smile crinkles, just like his dad’s; little fans on either side of his baby blues. “Zoo today!” he crows. “Zoo, zoo, zoo, Cincinnati zoo, zoo, zoo!” Like many … [Read more...]
Risking Love
We didn’t know what to think of him. Who was this young man, and why was he hanging around our campsite? For the last 7 years, my family has joined a close-knit group of families to camp on Memorial Day weekend. We have become more than close during those years, watching our kids grow from preschool age to adolescents. We have shared laughter, tears, trials and triumphs. These three-day … [Read more...]
Special Needs Sleepovers {and God’s Outrageous Grace}
I don't have to tell anyone here that our special kids miss milestones their age peers take for granted. It's a fact of the lives we lead. There are diapers in 6th grade (or longer), learning to read years after they "should" (which means maybe never), and tantrums until only-God-knows when (we haven't hit the endpoint yet!) My hopes for something as superfluous as a slumber party for my 11 … [Read more...]