Loneliness. Every school day of my childhood I saw it written on Dad's face when Mom, my siblings, and I hurried out the door. Even now, I close my eyes and can see him sitting in his wheelchair at the kitchen table, sipping coffee through a straw and waving good-bye. His grin couldn't hide his dread of spending another day with only the television to keep him company. In fact, Dad's face came … [Read more...]
(Faith + Hope) > (Fear + Loneliness)
Let’s face it. If you’re raising a child with a disability, then your life is anything but typical. More like fragile, complex, overwhelming, exhausting. After battling the everyday challenges that never seem to leave you alone, there is not much left in the tank. You may also be in the situation where caring for your child for the rest of your lives is becoming more and more real. The older you … [Read more...]
The Googolplex of Disability, or, How Many Times I Have to Repeat Myself
I’m going to be honest. I took high school calculus because my best friend was taking it, and I needed to prove I was as smart as she was. I was very insecure, and what’s worse, I hated math. But I did get something good from all those numbers: a B- and a neat little tidbit: A “googol” is 10 to the power of 100. The “googolplex” is significantly larger: 10 to the power of a googol - 10googol, or … [Read more...]
Body and Soul, She Is Marvelously Made
When my daughter was born with Down syndrome, our friends came to visit us at the hospital. Our oldest daughter was staying with them and they had brought Ellie to meet her baby sister. Our friends brought their daughter along too, she was the same age as our oldest, and like our youngest, she has Down syndrome. While we visited in the hospital room, we talked about how God had orchestrated … [Read more...]
Christmas: Glory Revealed
Such innocence. Such sweetness. What joy and beauty to behold in the face of the newborn baby as his parents cradled him in their shaking arms. The responsibility to raise and care for the Son of God must have weighed so heavily on their hearts that first Christmas morning. For four-thousands years, the prophecy was told to dark and war-laden lands: "The kingdom of God is coming." Hearts and … [Read more...]
Unto Us a Child Is Born
For the first time in many years, my husband and I are greeting the coming of the Christ Child in the presence of a baby. Our sweet grandson is almost 10 months old, and we are oohing and aahing over every new task he masters. Hand-clapping. Feeding himself and making a mess. Drinking from a sippy cup. Creeping and crawling across the carpet for the first time. The wonder of Christmas … [Read more...]