Something happened at church. Or perhaps what you need to know is, what didn’t happen. I pulled up to the church and Max bounced out of the car swinging his favorite vacuum. Several people were unsuspectingly milling around by the front door, exchanging greetings. “Watch out for the people!” I yelled behind Max as I watched his 8-pound Oreck swing like a ten ton wrecking ball. I fully expected … [Read more...]
Special-Needs Parents: What Is Your Faith in Today?
We need faith. Faith that His purpose and will for our lives and the lives of our children will be fulfilled. Faith that when doctors, therapist, teachers, and even friends and family members fail us, He never will. In Mark 5, we meet a woman who had tried to find relief from many doctors, “And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much … [Read more...]
The Sad Truth about PTSD in Children
For the first 52 years of my life, I had no idea children could struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But in 2008 when my son, age 26, was diagnosed with this mental illness, I learned the truth. PTSD in children is real, and my son had been living with it for 26 years. His PTSD began when he had surgery less than a day after he was born. "He won't remember," the doctors told … [Read more...]
Taking Autism Awareness to My Son’s School
Several months ago, I was sitting in an IEP meeting at my son's school when it happened. We were discussing the problems Sam was having making friends, and I explained the frustrations he felt over moving and struggling to find a new best friend. It was hard for him to do that, considering how he was being made fun of at recess because of his scripting and lightsaber fighting, acting out his … [Read more...]
The Angel of the Lord Encamps Around Those Who Fear Him
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.” Psalm 34:7 A dream image from years ago fills my mind’s eye as I sit in Lectio Divina with this verse. In the dream, a group of friends and I are gathered on lawn chairs in a horse-shoe shaped field, ringed on one end by houses. It is a beautiful night, the rural sky inky-black and star-studded; the summer air soft … [Read more...]
Table for 3, Please!
We thought our retirement years would allow for some nice romantic dinners for 2 and while it wasn’t where we saw ourselves in our early marriage, somehow all these years later, we think a romantic dinner for 3 works for us. We’ve come to realize that sometimes, if we want to get out for dinner, we simply must make the effort to go, and take our adult son with special needs along. It wasn’t plan … [Read more...]