Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. This quote by the theologian Soren Kierkegaard speaks to my heart as Joel’s mom. Joel is the youngest of my three sons. A handsome young man of twenty-eight, Joel has autism and moderate intellectual disabilities. God meets me daily on this mothering journey, enabling me to let go of future fears and past regrets—empowering … [Read more...]
Search Results for: kathleen bolduc
Reckless Love
Do you ever worry about your child’s future? Find anxious questions crowding your mind? Where will she live as an adult? What job will be best for her? Who will care for him after you’re gone? How can anyone ever care for him as well as you? I’ve lost countless hours of sleep to these kinds of worries. And then I saw a movie that helped me look at my son’s future in a whole new light… Last night … [Read more...]
Birds of the Air
It’s five o’clock in the afternoon. I’m sick and exhausted and stressed to the max. Walking into the bedroom the bed beckons, but the window beyond pulls me like a magnet. The view opens onto several hundred acres of farmland planted each summer in corn or soy. Today, the twelfth of February, fields unfold in winter browns and grays, with rows of corn stubble undulating into the distance. The sun … [Read more...]
The Sprinkled Blessings of Living with Autism
One snowy Saturday my fourteen-year-old son Joel and I bundled up to visit Janet, a friend just home from the hospital. Eight short weeks before, Janet had a stare-down with death and won. Joel didn’t really know Janet. She was an old friend of mine who lived out of town during much of his childhood. When she moved back to Cincinnati, we only saw each other once or twice a year. And yet, “Let’s … [Read more...]
Speaking Truth to Power
Last night my husband and I attended a concert called One City One Symphony at Cincinnati Music Hall. For the past several years the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has chosen one concert a year to facilitate community conversation around a theme. This year’s theme? Speaking truth to power. I sat in the balcony of the beautifully refurbished Grand Dame of music halls, immersed in powerful music … [Read more...]
God’s Surprises
November. Not my favorite month of the year. Darkness draws in as days shorten. Temperatures drop. The furnace hums. Coats, scarves and hats hang from the hall tree. I’m constantly wrapped in an alpaca blanket, trying to stay warm. I love the glories of fall foliage, but some of us (me included!) suffer from SAD—Seasonal Affective Disorder—so this can be a tough time of year. No wonder … [Read more...]