This summer our family embarked upon the grand adventure of multi-generational living. It began in May when our daughter, her husband, and their then 13-month-old son moved into our upstairs as they transition from starving graduate student status to starving artists status. The adventure is going well, everyone is adjusting, and my husband and I love sharing every day life with our … [Read more...]
Known by God
"Finding God is not hard. Letting God find us...is hard" (Nick Wagner, Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction, Vol. 22 No. 3). As the mother of a 31-year-old son with autism, I long to be known by God. I often need comfort, discernment, direction, or just a simple "hug" from the Holy Spirit. I need to know that God loves me, even with all of my shortcomings. Lectio Divina, … [Read more...]
One Thing I’ve Learned from Special Needs … Pray
If there's one thing I've learned from special needs ... pray. Pray. Before everything else. Pray. When I'm overwhelmed and in the midst of the chaos. Pray. When there's nothing else. Pray. With my eldest I can remember two distinct times of prayer when he was a baby. Two times. Two times I cried out to God in need in those early years. I'm sure I prayed, but life was just easier with a … [Read more...]
5 Things I Learned from Our Pilgrimage to the Holy Door
Holy Doors are massive bronze works of art located in selected cathedrals and basilicas around the world. They are only opened during Jubilee Years which typically occur once every 25 years. Not surprisingly, the traditional Holy Door is in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, but on December 8, 2015, Pope Francis announced the Jubilee Year of Mercy and designated 8 Holy Doors around the world. The only … [Read more...]
Frustrated with a lack of milestones? Collect moments instead.
In a perfect world, I would be patiently doing many hours of therapy each day with my son and in a perfect world, he would be meeting milestone after milestone. Then there's reality. Calvin is one of five kids who need me, he is not "catching up" developmentally, and some days it's all I can do to manage his medical needs while meeting the needs of my family. For too long, I've added up the … [Read more...]
The Summer “Gentling:” Or, How Disability Will Jack Up Your Original Blog Title If You Wait Long Enough.
I came up with the title, “The Summer Gentling” on one of summer’s earliest days. I came up with it because for one blazing second I thought that things would be quieter or easier when my children weren’t bound into a schedule of academics and activities. I thought that waking late and laying around and playing in the pool were the panacea to stress, and my complaining, holler-y kids would become … [Read more...]