Holy Doors are massive bronze works of art located in selected cathedrals and basilicas around the world. They are only opened during Jubilee Years which typically occur once every 25 years. Not surprisingly, the traditional Holy Door is in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, but on December 8, 2015, Pope Francis announced the Jubilee Year of Mercy and designated 8 Holy Doors around the world. The only … [Read more...]
When Chronic Pain Makes Us Doubt God’s Promises
Chronic pain. Parents of kids with special needs deal with it every single day. Not only our children's pain, which is what springs to mind for most moms and dads when the topic arises. But also our own chronic pain. We all experience it. Our pain can be caused by the physical demands of caregiving. It can be mental and emotional pain exacted by sleep deprivation, the trauma of seeing our … [Read more...]
More Than I Can Handle
Sometimes, as an attempt to comfort your heart as you are struggling through a new diagnosis, or even years afterward, friends or family might offer consolation by saying something along the lines of, “God chose to give you a child with autism because He knew you were strong enough”, or one of my personal favorites, “He will never give you any more than you can handle”, or even the Biblical … [Read more...]
Frustrated with a lack of milestones? Collect moments instead.
In a perfect world, I would be patiently doing many hours of therapy each day with my son and in a perfect world, he would be meeting milestone after milestone. Then there's reality. Calvin is one of five kids who need me, he is not "catching up" developmentally, and some days it's all I can do to manage his medical needs while meeting the needs of my family. For too long, I've added up the … [Read more...]
Changing Faith with Autism and the Invisible God
What does it mean to have faith on this parenting journey? September will mark 16 years since autism came into our lives. J was 22 months old. In the very early days, faith meant trusting God for healing. People prayed and encouraged and gave us timelines for God's miracle. "By 6 he will be healed!" they said. I knew to treat that with caution, since they had also told me he would sleep … [Read more...]
Helping our kids with disabilities find and establish friendships
Friends are an integral part of a happy and fulfilled life. We laugh with them, we cry with them, we play with them, we pray with them. As Charles Swindoll says, "I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun." Helping our kids with disabilities find and establish … [Read more...]