Do you feel isolated because of your situation? Misunderstood? Frustrated that nobody can relate to the daily challenges you and your family face? You are not alone. Do you know that most special needs parents feel this way? Most of us have such unique situations that are difficult for our friends and family to relate to. Our lives are diverted and become consumed with new priorities: … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Strengthen Sibling Relationships
When I first began to grasp the immensity of Calvin's disabilities one of my first worries were his three siblings. How would they feel connected with a brother that would never talk? Noah wanted a playmate and Calvin would never push cars in the sandbox with him or tease their sisters together. Would they ignore him? Would they get bored and disinterested because of his lack of response? Three … [Read more...]
He Carries You!
When we are tired and feeling defeated, it's easy to let doubts and unbelief take control of our thoughts. It seems death is not the greatest enemy (although certainly the last) but rather unbelief. I love the story of the Israelites, or more specifically, God's tenderness and faithfulness as he led them to Canaan. They cried "foul" so many times--against God, against Moses. They were sure God was … [Read more...]
Bitter or comforted?
Hard circumstances almost always go hand-in-hand with the temptation to become bitter. Grief either tenderizes us or hardens us and the truth is, sometimes it does both. How do we get bitter? We don't dwell in the comfort God has provided, instead we dwell on the disappointments of what we thought life should give us. Sometimes when I see little boys running around with their happy moms, … [Read more...]
When The Pain Is Too Much To Bear
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...]