Somewhere over the last 24 years, I lost the yearning to dream about what life would be like had Ben been born without complex physical and communication challenges. There was a period when I constantly wanted to press the rewind button to return to a simpler time, to before Ben was part of our world, so I could understand what I’d done so terribly wrong to deserve the burden of raising a child … [Read more...]
A Day Program Without Walls
A beautiful fall day, colors exploding all around us as Joel and I drive through the sleepy college town of Oxford, Ohio. I'm lost in thoughts about the “day program without walls” we're building for Joel, when Joel’s voice interrupts the anxious flow of what I'm thinking. “Look! The trees are falling!” I'm too immersed in thoughts of what seems like an impossibility to go through the … [Read more...]
Unchanging God In A Changing Special Needs World
Some days are harder than others. We don't do change. You, too? And in our house routine is key. We mostly get up at the same time. We eat the same foods (cheese quesadilla, thank you very much), at the same Mexican restaurant. We watch the same television shows and go to the exact same places, on the same days, week after week. No routine equals mass chaos in our house. Routine comes above all … [Read more...]
When Your Church Doesn’t Miss You
It all began with a rush to the emergency room after school. I called friends from the car asking them to notify our church. I prayed that my triage at home was incorrect, that I was just being overly concerned. Unfortunately, testing revealed that my worries were well-founded. My son was having a life-threatening internal bleed in his hip area. He was hospitalized while a plan was formulated for … [Read more...]
Hope After High School
Psalm 17:6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. I remember years ago when my son Charlie was just under 2, before his autism diagnosis, we had started a 529 Savings Plan for both of my children to help save towards college. I was excited that we were starting early and hopeful by doing this we would be able to pay for their college years later … [Read more...]
…And Grace My Fears Relieved
Amazing Grace is one of my all-time favorite songs. Written by a former slave-trader who lived a less- than-stellar life before he met Christ, this usage defines grace as God’s eternal, life-saving, undeserved favor. The origins of grace in Latin are related to thankfulness --and in Greek, to rejoicing. God is thankful and rejoices over us when we recognize and accept his graciousness (Isaiah … [Read more...]