"Get a life!" I’m often tempted to say that: • When things aren’t going my way I think, “Wow, if I could just get a life!” • When frustrated, I sometimes say, “This is life?” • As a young mom changing diapers I’d catch myself thinking, “This is not what I thought children were going to be all about. I wonder when I’ll get a life.” • When our son wasn’t developing on schedule and we’d … [Read more...]
Made For Another World
There I sat, in a fully reclined canvas chair under a cluster of palm trees. The sandy beach in front of me was like fine white powder bordered by a clear blue sea that looked more like a swimming pool than an ocean. The sapphire water met a cerulean sky at the horizon, almost making it hard to distinguish one from the other. A welcoming sun set high and bright in the heavens on this … [Read more...]
I Can’t But God Can
I have heard this statement before but something tonight spoke to me deeper: I can't... but God can. Have you ever tried to do something on your own, but figured out after several attempts that you needed help? Do you go in circles worrying about the same things? Are you at your wits end trying to solve problems over and over again? Charlie and I I struggle with these things at times. I … [Read more...]
For days when there is nothing to say…
There are days when I feel like there is nothing to say. Today is one of those days. You know the feeling… searching for words to wrap around your experience… and somehow coming up short. Today is one of those days. I am sitting looking out my front window. The house is still quiet. All I can hear is the honking of some bird outside and the click-click-clicking of my fingers on the keys. There … [Read more...]
Crisis Survival for Parents
They say you can't get struck by lightning twice. They were wrong. We sat silently in the car during the long drive to the University of Michigan Hospital. We'd been in a terrific struggle of care and survival with our disabled son, Calvin, and were struggling to manage his care. All the while I kept noticing our other son, Noah, was not looking well and was complaining of leg pain constantly. … [Read more...]
In Search of Stability in the Storms of Life
Have you ever walked along the shoreline as a storm approached, staggering through churning waters trying to get a foothold as the sand shifted with each step? When you are the parent of a child with a special needs, life can feel like walking alongside a stormy sea. You are always adapting, always reacting and ever alert to make sure your child is safe. Most mornings, you never quite know what … [Read more...]