She turned thirteen this week. That's ten birthdays together. . . thousands of days and experiences since the day my oldest daughter moved into my home. On her birthdays, when I look through her baby pictures and reminisce, there is this gap. We've got just six pictures of her life from birth to 2 1/2 years. In those moments, the reality of loss, special needs and adoption feels so acute. Most … [Read more...]
Who Do You Say You Are?
Each day, we have choices to make. One choice—one that you make each day—can drastically affect your life in astounding ways. Choose one option and you will live an abundant life unshaken by the circumstances around you. Choose the other option and you will live a reactive life, unstable and swayed by the opinions of others. The question we face each day is this: Who do you say you are? Are … [Read more...]
Uncertainty in a Special Needs Life: surviving its ups and downs
Yesterday I uttered two words I have never said side by side in the same sentence: “Good IEP.” In all my years as a special needs mother, those two words are about as unlikely a duo as, “happy hemorrhoid” or “joyful jogging.” But there it was. My response to my husband’s query about our 20-year-old’s annual IEP review. “It was good,” I repeated, still amazed these words had managed to come … [Read more...]
How to Find Prosperity in Hardship
Maybe you are familiar with the amazing promise of Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Like me, maybe you've prayed this promise over your child's bedside at night. When my daughter Elise was born, I was given this verse in a beautiful frame that now hangs on her bedroom … [Read more...]
Risking Love
We didn’t know what to think of him. Who was this young man, and why was he hanging around our campsite? For the last 7 years, my family has joined a close-knit group of families to camp on Memorial Day weekend. We have become more than close during those years, watching our kids grow from preschool age to adolescents. We have shared laughter, tears, trials and triumphs. These three-day … [Read more...]
When Life Is More Than I Can Handle
When my daughter was born with Down syndrome I felt devastated about her diagnosis. I cried constantly, and I struggled to find hope as I pictured our lives in the days, months, and years to come. One night, as I climbed into bed, I turned to my husband who was ready to go to sleep. I was exhausted by my sadness, and I knew he noticed it too. “The Bible says that God does not give us … [Read more...]