I am so excited to share my new book, The Spiritual Art of Raising Children with Disabilities with you! Here is an excerpt from the Introduction, to give you an idea of what it's all about. It was written for you, dear reader! Henri Nouwen is one of the great spiritual teachers of my life. I never met him in person, but I knew him intimately through his books on the spiritual life and his … [Read more...]
You’re Going To Be Okay
"We can’t selectively numb emotion. Numb the dark and you numb the light." - Brene Brown It's a truth I wanted to unwrite that night. Sinking down onto the kitchen floor, a mob of emotions clamoring for dominance inside me: Humiliation. Exhaustion. Anger. Fear. All I'd wanted was to get some exercise (I know, I know, What's that??!). To skate around the local lake with my kids and provide a … [Read more...]
Keeping Calm When My Child Isn’t
She'd been ranting at me for 45 minutes. My muscles were tense. The ache in my shoulders crept up my neck and threatened to swallow my head whole. It wasn't me she was mad at. It wasn't even the trigger she ranted about that she was mad at. It was---almost always is---her mind spinning into Reactive Attachment Disorder and Bipolar Disorder lows. Moments full of obsessing over one … [Read more...]
How I’m getting my instincts back (and you can too).
"Mom?" asked my sixth grade daughter on the way home from school, "Isn't it true you should always trust your instincts?" I stifled a laugh, trying not to let the Diet Coke in my mouth shoot through my nose. Three responses sprung simultaneously to mind: Should you have gone with your instinct to hit your little sister yesterday? Or did that end badly for you? Should you go with your … [Read more...]
Is Happy Marriage Possible For Parents of Special Needs?
I have this guy living in my house. This tall, witty, occasionally infuriating guy, whose across-the-room smile can still make me blush, 15 years after "I do." Only problem is it's way too easy as a parent of kids with special needs to simply not look across the room. Do I know my husband is my primary relationship? That he's the only one who's still going to be sitting across from me when the … [Read more...]
Twilight Zone Prayers and Hidden Disabilities
Of all the prayers in the Bible, I don't recall anyone praying that their child would have a seizure. Or that they'd spike a fever. Or that they'd have a meltdown in class. But I have. These are some of the alter-universe prayers I find myself praying for one of our daughters who has developmental delays, GAD, RAD and ODD---a.k.a. hidden disabilities. Here's my girl. See if you can discover why … [Read more...]