The headlights on the road beneath blurred together. I was looking down from the seventh floor at DeVos Children's Hospital in a quiet area for parents. My heart was anything but quiet. Three weeks in ICU had turned my emotions into a paper-thin, fragile thing. Our three-year-old son, Calvin, received a tracheotomy last week to help his collapsing airway after a long bout of illness. We were … [Read more...]
Extraordinary Living Right Here, Right Now
Most of us dream of making a difference in this world. We want to leave our mark, maybe run a company, hold a political office or have a recognizable name. Then reality hits and life gets hard. When you are the parent or caregiver of someone with a special need, days are filled with responsibilities: visits to therapists, educational meetings and attending to our loved one. It's overwhelming … [Read more...]
Choosing Love
I held a precious baby girl in my arms. So perfect. So soft. My heart pumped love through my veins. A fierce, passionate love that would conquer the world for the baby that slept in my arms. Finally, I thought to myself, I understand God’s unconditional love for me, for there is nothing this child can or cannot do to make stop loving her. However, it was the birth of my second daughter that … [Read more...]
Gratefulness Is Refreshing
Psalm 28:7 ESV The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. As the year was coming to an end for yet another time, I reflected on the things that brought me joy; those things that I am grateful for. For some people it is just a list, but for me it is an accomplishment and reminder of God carrying me … [Read more...]
Cleaning up Urine and Praising God
It was Christmas—and there I was on my hands and knees in the bathroom, cleaning up urine…again. “I’m getting too old for this.” The scrubbing became more fervent as a wallowing sigh of “Why me?” escaped from my heart and a few self-pitying tears fell to the floor mixing with the mess from my teenage son’s latest “accomplishment.” Suddenly, I’m caught off guard by the unexpected, comforting … [Read more...]