Finding peace when your heart is breaking is difficult. Many of us have lost loved ones or are struggling just day to day and sometimes the holiday stressors can feel so heavy and we are more sensitive because of all the busyness. It doesn't feel that long ago when I sat and watched my son gasp for breath in the hospital, he was barely one year-old. He had asthma and when it came boy it was … [Read more...]
Speaking Truth to Power
Last night my husband and I attended a concert called One City One Symphony at Cincinnati Music Hall. For the past several years the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has chosen one concert a year to facilitate community conversation around a theme. This year’s theme? Speaking truth to power. I sat in the balcony of the beautifully refurbished Grand Dame of music halls, immersed in powerful music … [Read more...]
God’s Surprises
November. Not my favorite month of the year. Darkness draws in as days shorten. Temperatures drop. The furnace hums. Coats, scarves and hats hang from the hall tree. I’m constantly wrapped in an alpaca blanket, trying to stay warm. I love the glories of fall foliage, but some of us (me included!) suffer from SAD—Seasonal Affective Disorder—so this can be a tough time of year. No wonder … [Read more...]
It’s Okay
“It’s okay.” These were the words a godly counselor shared with me one day when I was distraught over my child’s diagnosis of autism. Clifford was a friend of the family and a marriage and family therapist who had come to town for a visit. My first thoughts were to scream at him, “No, it’s not okay. How can you say it’s okay?” But he was a wise older gentleman so I unraveled my emotional … [Read more...]
Love in the Age of Worry
Love in the Age of Worry “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” – Psalm 91:4 NLT I’d planned to write about Jesse this week. I'd planned a piece about theoretical fear. Jesse is my youngest child, and has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD. As He is wont to do, God changed the plan. On a Tuesday … [Read more...]
Why The Older I Get The More I Look to God
I have to be honest. After 25 years, the pressures and strain of raising a child with complex disabilities have never gone away. They’re not always top of mind but they remain, nonetheless. Most of the time, these pressures don’t bother me since they’re just a part of my life. But I’m finding that the older I get, the harder life gets. Life isn’t supposed to get harder as you get older. It’s … [Read more...]