Modifications. They are a necessary and natural part of life for families who want their loved ones with special needs to have access to the world. One of my earliest memories is watching carpenters build a ramp so Dad could wheel in and out of our house. Mom modified an old leather toiletry bag to carry Dad's urinal when we were out and about since few bathrooms were wheelchair accessible in the … [Read more...]
He Won’t Remember: Children & PTSD
Some things parents never forget. Like the first time a mother holds her newborn child. Or the first time a baby belly laughs at a father's antics. But when I think of our son's early days, one unpleasant memory comes to mind. Our baby's wince of pain when the nurse took him–bristling with drainage tubes, feeding tubes, IVs, and monitor wires–and placed him in his daddy's arms. Newborns Don't … [Read more...]
How Can 31 Years Ago Seem Just Like Yesterday?
Thirty-one years ago today, our first child was born at 12:35 AM on a Sunday morning. Like all mothers, I remember the details of that day at Lookout Memorial Hospital in Spearfish, South Dakota with perfect clarity. But my memories are different than those of many other new parents. The joy of the memory of our son's arrival is tinged with sadness and gratitude. I remember breakfast being … [Read more...]
The Place Where Joy and Grief Meet
When our first grandson was born six months ago, I expected joy, and it was there. I expected to love him at first sight, and I did. I expected to cry tears of happiness, and they came. Every emotion was expected, save one. I never expected to grieve. Even so, grief found me. How Could I Have Known? How could I have known grief would punch me in the gut when our son wheeled the … [Read more...]
The Small Things
Parenting a child with special needs is a big thing, sometimes an overwhelming thing. Those big things can keep us from seeing and appreciating the small things God uses to draw us close to him. With Easter fast approaching, may God use this devotion and your life as the parent of a child with special needs to fix your eyes upon the glory of the cross. For who has despised the day of small … [Read more...]
Because of C. Everett Koop
My day came to a halt this past Monday morning when the radio host announced the death of Dr. C. Everett Koop at the age of 96. I nodded as the accomplishments of his life in politics were listed: Surgeon General under Ronald Reagan, evangelical Christian and early champion of the pro-life movement, promoter of AIDS education and prevention, crusader of tobacco health warnings, and defender of the … [Read more...]