It’s tough to get beyond the fear and negativity that the world throws us each day. At times, it seems relentless. When you add in the commercial pressures and the loneliness that the Christmas season often brings, it can be even tougher to see any abundance in our lives let alone be thankful. Every one of us get caught up in the busy-ness and urgency of the day and, little by little, can lose … [Read more...]
Hope at 3am
Dear friend, I started to write you a charming little story and was halfway through...when Tuesday night hit. Let me just say that most of our days and nights are good. Not easy, but good. For the past two months, however, Tuesday nights have been different. It’s as if autism grabs hold of our lives like a 1950’s sci-fi flick, the one with the pretty little plant that … [Read more...]
The Only Name That Matters
“Cerebral palsy. Autism. Epilepsy. Intellectually disabled. Cognitively impaired.” I read the words over and over in a whisper. In fact, those words seemed to leap off the page despite the rest of the wording that filled the legal document I was holding. They were only eight words, but those were the eight words used to define my son. Our son has just turned eighteen years … [Read more...]
Obsessive-Compulsive Deliverer
We tend to think of OCD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, as a bad thing. But I'm choosing to remember that I have an Obsessive-Compulsive Deliverer to see me through it. Yes, in its extreme form, OCD is not easy. It can affect so many different areas of life and people in different ways. Many people think they have OCD. There are so many jokes about it. I get it. I know there are varying … [Read more...]
What Is This Thing Called Prayer?
Last night my dear friend Alysia called to talk. As a youth group leader I mentored Alysia throughout her middle and high school years. In college, she joined our leadership team. During those years I was raising three sons. Joel, our youngest, was diagnosed with autism on that journey. After graduating with a nursing degree Alysia married and had seven children. She and her husband are … [Read more...]
Max’s Two Words about Autism
“Max!” I said with the kind of enthusiasm I hoped would be contagious, “We are going to like this new doctor. He has a daughter with autism!” I tried to mask my own nerves, wondering how we would get through the next-day’s appointment in the city. I watched Max for a reaction as he bounced in his seat and started eating his dinner in a style reminiscent of a wood-chipper. Sometimes dinner in … [Read more...]