I am come that they might have life. And have it more abundantly. John 10:10b, KJV I had my first social media dust-up a few months ago. It freaked me out to the point of making all my accounts ultra-private, and stopped me from commenting on anything for quite a while. I had the audacity to comment something positive on a special needs parenting post. I threw my glass-half-full attitude into a … [Read more...]
Looking for the Bright Side
It can always be worse. There’s always something to be thankful for. Look on the bright side. Whenever my child is sick or in the hospital, people try to encourage me to keep a healthy perspective with familiar sayings. I know these people are right, but it’s hard to do at times. My medically complex child has thrown many curveballs over the past 11 years. We’ve had planned surgeries and … [Read more...]
The Weight of Loving Someone with Great Need
This Weight. It's heavy. The weight of special needs was something we've gotten used to along the way. It was gradual, never too life threatening. But this. It's daunting. We long to be at home, away from the hospital, but there is no doubt being home, alone, is its own kind of hard. When I was young I remember thinking how difficult it is to keep a baby alive. Oh, young, naive Stephanie. Silly … [Read more...]
Autism and Dementia: How Do We Cope?
Last week, on a gloomy Thursday afternoon, I sat in the prayer room on our retreat center’s property with a student from Miami University. It was the first meeting of a spiritual mentoring relationship. I lit a candle and made her a cup of tea. Frankly, I wondered if I had anything to give that day. The day before I’d visited my mom, who is careening headlong into full-blown dementia. I’d … [Read more...]
Capture the Wonder of Every Day
A few Sundays ago, I listened to the parable of the ten bridesmaids as it was read in mass. The message to “be prepared” came through loud and clear. On that particular Sunday, though, this gospel reading took on a very different twist. You see, three days prior, my father had passed away at the age of 100. He had lived at home rather independently (with some daily support) up until 12 days … [Read more...]
Love in the Age of Worry
Love in the Age of Worry “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” – Psalm 91:4 NLT I’d planned to write about Jesse this week. I'd planned a piece about theoretical fear. Jesse is my youngest child, and has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD. As He is wont to do, God changed the plan. On a Tuesday … [Read more...]