Being a special needs parent is like climbing a great mountain. Let's face it, sometimes it's downright overwhelming. When the journey begins—and you received that unexpected diagnosis—you suddenly find yourself at the base of a great mountain. The scale of this mountain is enormous and the trail that leads to the summit is rocky at best. Standing at its base looking upward, thoughts of … [Read more...]
Surrender
“I can teach you how to fly." Those were the words, spoken to me in a dream last year, by a wise woman I call “Macrina/Judi.” Macrina is Macrina Weiderkehr, an author who has accompanied me on my spiritual journey for the past ten years. And Judi is Judi Dench, the actress. In this particular dream, I knew the person speaking to me was Macrina, but she had the face and voice of Judi … [Read more...]
We Need Online Community
I never could have guessed that being a special needs parent could be so lonely. Sometimes…perhaps often…life gets in the way of our best intentions. A child’s diagnosis often increases psychological stressors, therapy schedules stretch the daily “to do” list to the breaking point, and slowly the network of friends you had begins to fall by the wayside. The pressure of day-to-day parenting can … [Read more...]
In Search of Stability in the Storms of Life
Have you ever walked along the shoreline as a storm approached, staggering through churning waters trying to get a foothold as the sand shifted with each step? When you are the parent of a child with a special needs, life can feel like walking alongside a stormy sea. You are always adapting, always reacting and ever alert to make sure your child is safe. Most mornings, you never quite know what … [Read more...]
Wait for it….wait for it…
“Have you heard of ‘reservation time’?” our counselor asked. I shot my husband a blank look. I had no idea what he was talking about. “The Navejo have a custom,” he explained, leaning forward in his chair. “Families often live far apart without telephones, so rather than show up unannounced on a neighbor’s doorstep, they drive their cars within hearing distance of their neighbor‘s property. They … [Read more...]
We Had Nothing to Do With It
…We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the … [Read more...]