Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 There are so many Scriptures on prayer power. The Scripture above just happens to be one of my favorites. I don’t know about you, but I pray and pray and pray for my son, Joel, who has autism. Many times I do not see specific answers to those prayers. And yet, the Scriptures … [Read more...]
Evolution and Hard Decisions
Parenting is synonymous with change. Our children grow and learn; they achieve and alter. And when they are special needs children, their bodies and abilities are in constant evolution. Change is rarely comfortable. Jesse’s original diagnoses include PDD-NOS, ODD, OCD, and ADHD. Some of those acronyms will change as he grows. Some – if God sees fit – might disappear. New ones could be added. … [Read more...]
A Day Program Without Walls
A beautiful fall day, colors exploding all around us as Joel and I drive through the sleepy college town of Oxford, Ohio. I'm lost in thoughts about the “day program without walls” we're building for Joel, when Joel’s voice interrupts the anxious flow of what I'm thinking. “Look! The trees are falling!” I'm too immersed in thoughts of what seems like an impossibility to go through the … [Read more...]
The Kids Are Alright
It’s hard not to feel as if the world’s on the brink of collapse these days. Five minutes of the evening news is enough to warrant Zantac. It doesn’t help that I write on policy (among other things), and so I am often online digesting politics with my morning cereal. Guess what? Politics doesn’t naturally lead to gratitude. Who knew. Right now, people seem inscrutable, rhetoric is flammable, … [Read more...]
Paradigm Shift in the ER
Paradigm shift: “A time when the usual and accepted way of doing or thinking about something changes completely” (The Cambridge English Dictionary). I don’t know about you, but God often shifts my paradigm of disability when I least expect it. It was a Sunday morning. I’d been laid flat with a flu-like virus for four days. I woke up that morning determined to get up and go to church with my … [Read more...]
Double the Fun
It seems a strange thing to be grateful for, but I’m thankful both boys are on the spectrum. Not every day. But most days. Weird, right? But I get good things in twos: Both boys love to slam each other on the ground, on each other, on the bed. They love the pressure of their daily matches, and neither one complains that the other is being too rough. That’s because short of a puncture wound, … [Read more...]