A few short days after Christmas, my daughter will serve as chauffeur to what we both hope will be my final doctor's appointment since breaking my foot almost 3 months ago. While we are both excited to hear that I can resume driving and other duties she's taken on during my convalescence, we're also apprehensive about the 30 mile drive to the hospital and clinic. Because my daughter is, as the … [Read more...]
Unexpected Traditions and the True Meaning of Christmas
A year ago, my left hand was in a cast to recover from surgery to reconnect the thumb tendon I'd severed in a kitchen accident. A back injury had incapacitated my man-of-steel husband. As a result, we wisely decided to forego decorating the house for Christmas. "It's only for one year," we told each other. "We'll do things up right next year." Those were, dear readers, our most Famous. Last. … [Read more...]
When Your Holidays Don’t Turn Out As Expected
You followed all of the advice. With tenderness and care, you purchased all of the tagless clothes and made the sensory-friendly accommodations. You examined all of the lists for the best Christmas toys for children with special needs. And you made dietary choices that would best suit your child's restrictions. STILL your holidays aren't as you expected. Relatives Anyone who has taken even a … [Read more...]
I Forgot—Church Is Hard
God has a plan for His church, and no matter how challenging, His plan includes us. One night at church, I lost 190 pounds. Fortunately, I found all of it in the toddler room. There was my hulk of a son, hunched over the Brio train table, next to a little child who looked like a garden gnome beside Max. A kindly volunteer was standing over my son, looking a little baffled and holding a Brio … [Read more...]
It’s a Wonderful, Blessed Life!
As parents, how many of us set aside time every week to look back on how the week went, what we could do better, and then plan for the upcoming week? As parents of children with a disability, how many of us even have enough time to do the basics, let alone to reflect? But when we do get a sliver of time, do we spend that time being thankful for the blessings of our crazy lives? Do we even believe … [Read more...]
Autism and Church: It’s a Good Thing, Part II
Back in December I wrote about the frustration and embarrassment of a particular church service with our 30-year-old son, Joel, who has autism. Joel could not sit still that day, blew out the Advent candles, muttered under his breath the entire service, walked into the bathroom and flushed the toilet several times (you have to understand that this is a very small church, and our one bathroom is … [Read more...]