In May our daughter, her husband, and their fourteen-month-old moved into the upstairs of the roomy, old farmhouse where my husband and I live. With their arrival our quiet, empty nester lives were dramatically altered. I couldn't be happier. Over the summer I observed how parenthood has changed my daughter and her husband. They are no longer young adults in single-minded pursuit of their own … [Read more...]
Paradigm Shift in the ER
Paradigm shift: “A time when the usual and accepted way of doing or thinking about something changes completely” (The Cambridge English Dictionary). I don’t know about you, but God often shifts my paradigm of disability when I least expect it. It was a Sunday morning. I’d been laid flat with a flu-like virus for four days. I woke up that morning determined to get up and go to church with my … [Read more...]
Stop Renting God’s Word, Start Owning God’s Word
We were dealing with serious meltdowns with our son Connor. He would go into a frenzy when he didn’t get his way, and we knew it wasn’t just a child acting out. It seemed like a stronghold in his life that we could not help him work through. I remember one time Connor got so upset that he threw himself on the floor and started slapping his hands on the tile of our house. Then he got up and ran … [Read more...]
Run Your Own Race
It all started with his friend, Jon. Sam started 6th grade this year, and the opportunity came up for him to join cross-country (also referenced as XC). Sam and Jon are good friends; they go to church together, and they go to the same school too (though not in the same class.) Jon's been running XC for a couple of years now, and he really loves it. Naturally, Jon told Sam how awesome it was, and … [Read more...]
(Faith + Hope) > (Fear + Loneliness)
Let’s face it. If you’re raising a child with a disability, then your life is anything but typical. More like fragile, complex, overwhelming, exhausting. After battling the everyday challenges that never seem to leave you alone, there is not much left in the tank. You may also be in the situation where caring for your child for the rest of your lives is becoming more and more real. The older you … [Read more...]
Are You “Ghosting” Your Child?
"Mom! Mommy! Mama! MAAAAA!" On top of that, it does something terrible to my child. It shouts right back, “You AREN’T important to me.” I am telling my child that her needs aren’t a priority. Her concerns are insignificant. I don’t care. Epiphany My eldest child, now in college, unwittingly brought this to my attention recently. She described what she is learning in one of her communications … [Read more...]