Exactly one year ago this week my father marked his 100th birthday. Lots of family and friends attended his “party” to celebrate this huge milestone and to wish him well. My father’s good health and mental sharpness were certainly contributing factors to him becoming a centenarian. While I certainly didn’t take that for granted, we had every reason to believe that there would be another party … [Read more...]
Why The Older I Get The More I Look to God
I have to be honest. After 25 years, the pressures and strain of raising a child with complex disabilities have never gone away. They’re not always top of mind but they remain, nonetheless. Most of the time, these pressures don’t bother me since they’re just a part of my life. But I’m finding that the older I get, the harder life gets. Life isn’t supposed to get harder as you get older. It’s … [Read more...]
“Fear Is a Lie From the Pit of Hell”
Those words were so unexpected that they knocked me off my feet. And, yet, I knew exactly what he meant. Without hesitation, I wrote them into my iPhone. I didn’t want to forget what Joel Houston, leader of the Christian band Hillsong UNITED, had just said. In sharing stories over the years with many, many parents of children with a disability, I’ve learned that fear is the one thing that holds … [Read more...]
The Cart Before the Horse
Living in Lancaster County, PA—home of the Amish—we see a lot of buggies around here! So the phrase "don't put the cart before the horse" calls forth some pretty strong imagery in my mind. Instead of envisioning a horse prancing along the roadside, pulling a buggy behind it, I can vividly see how different it would be if that same horse was trying to push that same buggy down the street. It would … [Read more...]