I feel guilty about a very strange thing. Not about something I’ve done, but about something I was given. Today, I want to hold my hand up and shield people from paying attention to this part of my life; here, in this particular community of parents who struggle daily with special needs, and never-ending vigilance. A few codes in our neurologist’s office indicate I’ve every right to be among you … [Read more...]
Seeds of Hope
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5 What is hope? What gives me hope in the midst of despair? I hope for spring in the midst of winter, unable to see the mysterious workings of nature deep underground. I’m powerless in the face of my need for spring. I can’t control the seasons. And yet I have faith, borne in hope, that the breeze will … [Read more...]
I Can Teach You How to Fly!
Standing at the opening of the labyrinth on the grounds of Mt. Olivet Retreat Center, I stretch my arms outward. “Come, Holy Spirit. Show me what to write this week.” A flash in the sky draws my eyes upward. Just above me, riding a wind current, soars a Cooper’s hawk. The words come, unbidden: “I can teach you how to fly.” It’s not the first time I’ve heard these words from the … [Read more...]
Saving Up the Hard Stuff
“So much will change,” they say, pointing to your swollen belly, nearly giddy with the kind of knowledge that only experience supplies. “Your life will never be the same!” I know, you think smugly. I’ve heard it, I’ve read it, it’s the mantra you mothers all repeat. But they’re right, of course. While things will change, many of those changes are expected: those that arise from the training of … [Read more...]
Address Your Stress
I was twenty-five years old when I became a mom, and my world changed forever. Like all new parents, I suddenly realized the needs of our small bundle of sweetness would rule my heart and my days for years to come. Unlike most new parents, my husband and I soon had to surrender our son to the cadre of surgeons, doctors, and nurses in a distant city who could save his life. Before we could kiss him … [Read more...]
Autism and Church: It’s a Good Thing, Part II
Back in December I wrote about the frustration and embarrassment of a particular church service with our 30-year-old son, Joel, who has autism. Joel could not sit still that day, blew out the Advent candles, muttered under his breath the entire service, walked into the bathroom and flushed the toilet several times (you have to understand that this is a very small church, and our one bathroom is … [Read more...]