It’s hard not to feel as if the world’s on the brink of collapse these days. Five minutes of the evening news is enough to warrant Zantac. It doesn’t help that I write on policy (among other things), and so I am often online digesting politics with my morning cereal. Guess what? Politics doesn’t naturally lead to gratitude. Who knew. Right now, people seem inscrutable, rhetoric is flammable, … [Read more...]
The Pressure Cooker Effect
In May our daughter, her husband, and their fourteen-month-old moved into the upstairs of the roomy, old farmhouse where my husband and I live. With their arrival our quiet, empty nester lives were dramatically altered. I couldn't be happier. Over the summer I observed how parenthood has changed my daughter and her husband. They are no longer young adults in single-minded pursuit of their own … [Read more...]
The Special-Needs Warrior Mom
This fall, ABC debuted a new series about a special-needs family. 7.29 million people tuned in the first week to meet the DiMeo family—Maya (played by Minnie Driver) her husband Jimmy, and their kids JJ, Ray, and Dylan. Show creator Scott Silveri drew from his experiences growing up with an older brother with a disability, and the show was praised for casting an actor who actually has cerebral … [Read more...]
Commitment Is Such a Lonely Word
One of my favorite Billy Joel songs is “Honesty.” Though it was written nearly 40 years ago, it still is relevant today. If you’ve never heard it, the theme relates to how honesty is such a lonely word, that everyone (well, most everyone) is so untrue. In our world, where we rely on so many people to support Ben’s care and development, honesty can be a problem. Mostly, it’s the small things … [Read more...]
My perseveration, God’s rescue
What Is It? In an autism household, I get a lot of practice dealing with perseveration. What's that, you ask? Here's the verdict from Mr. Webster: perseveration: "continuation of something (as repetition of a word) usually to an exceptional degree or beyond a desired point". That can look like the endless buttoning and unbuttoning a shirt, repeating a word over and over, requiring an activity … [Read more...]
FILTERED Thoughts and Words Are a Little Slice of Heaven
Filtering my thoughts and words isn’t easy and it doesn’t always turn out pretty. They often come pouring from my mind through my mouth like a coffee maker without a filter. (Sipping on coffee grounds is simply unpleasant!) I’ve improved over time and I always work to reflect the Lord, but I have certainly not arrived. I can act refined with proper statements and politeness, but underlying what … [Read more...]