Chelsea and Charlie in 2005 Philipians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Chelsea came in the room, “Mom look I got another college theatre scholarship!” I was so excited for her and very proud. She is 6 years older than her brother Charlie who has autism. She was about 9 when we got the diagnosis. She didn’t really understand at the time. Even when he wasn’t talking and … [Read more...]
The Cart Before the Horse
Living in Lancaster County, PA—home of the Amish—we see a lot of buggies around here! So the phrase "don't put the cart before the horse" calls forth some pretty strong imagery in my mind. Instead of envisioning a horse prancing along the roadside, pulling a buggy behind it, I can vividly see how different it would be if that same horse was trying to push that same buggy down the street. It would … [Read more...]
Count Down
I’ve been afraid of this moment for approximately one fifth of my life. That’s about the same amount of time it would take for me to travel to the moon and back…if I were to travel by rickshaw. The thought that my beautiful son Max would one day graduate from his special needs school, and end up floating around in the big wide world without a tether, was more than I could bear. What would he do? … [Read more...]
Because of C. Everett Koop
My day came to a halt this past Monday morning when the radio host announced the death of Dr. C. Everett Koop at the age of 96. I nodded as the accomplishments of his life in politics were listed: Surgeon General under Ronald Reagan, evangelical Christian and early champion of the pro-life movement, promoter of AIDS education and prevention, crusader of tobacco health warnings, and defender of the … [Read more...]
The Power of Encouragement
"I bought more candy-grams, Mom," Alec says with a big smile as we drive home from school just two days before Valentine's Day. "Alec, you already bought twelve candy-grams," I frown. "Do you really need more?" Alec's school was selling the candy-grams as a fundraiser for the holiday. For twenty-five cents you could send a single hard candy with a note of friendship. This particular … [Read more...]
Your Vote For Our Families
Our blog has been selected as a finalist for "Favorite Special Needs Parenting Blog in the About.com Readers' Choice Award! We would highly appreciate your support because we're a faith-centered blog for parents and grandparents of children with special needs. All children with special needs. All families. Voting is easy and it only takes 90-seconds. Vote here for Not Alone...where special … [Read more...]