Forgiveness. It seems like a 1,000-pound bench press, a crushing load, impossibly heavy to lift. But forgiveness isn’t a one-time heft above our heads to declare our spiritual duty done. It’s more like a marathon. (Or, for those like me, who shudder at the thought of running a 5K, it’s more like a really, really long-distance stroll—preferably with a coffee in hand.) But whether you … [Read more...]
Tadpoles and Diplomas: transitions for special needs children
This morning I compared my son to a tadpole. Not, I confess, one of my stellar parenting moments. But more shocking than the fact I equated my first born to a pre-formed amphibian, is the happier fact that it succeeded in making him feel better. Stress and anxiety have taken their toll in recent weeks and we have been desperate to help him manage. As is often the case, however, it has taken a … [Read more...]
Snooze Buttons, Train Wrecks and Finding Joy
It was pretty clear by the time I hit the snooze button for the fifth time. I didn’t want to get out of bed. Then words from Hebrews 12:2 I had read the day before came to mind: “For the joy set before him, he endured the cross.” I lay there, wondering, what is the joy set before me? What can give me such hope that I can endure mornings when I just don’t want to face another teen intervention, … [Read more...]
Cowbells and Barricades
My first mistake? Driving my Honda Fit around the barricade that blocked the residential road in my neighborhood. My second mistake? Inadvertently driving into the middle of an international bicycle race that had apparently been scheduled that weekend. Of course, I didn’t realize what I’d done until a pace car for the race (followed by hundreds of speeding cyclists) rounded the empty street … [Read more...]
One More for the Road
While I may be good at many things, there is one thing at which I do not excel. Driving. Just ask my children and they will regale you with driving stories of automotive shame and humiliation. It is simply a fact that if there is a way to get lost, I will find it. Which is why, several years ago, I was so very proud of myself for not only managing to drive successfully to O’Hare International … [Read more...]
Her Brother’s Keeper
The day my 5-year old daughter came bursting through our front room door, breathlessly demanding that I make her older brother stop calling her a bad name, I braced myself for the worst. What “bad word” had finally found it’s way into my children’s vocabulary? “He called me a Canadian!” she cried indignantly. “A what?” I asked, thinking that I hadn’t heard this right. “A Canadian!” she repeated, … [Read more...]