Chronic pain. Parents of kids with special needs deal with it every single day. Not only our children's pain, which is what springs to mind for most moms and dads when the topic arises. But also our own chronic pain. We all experience it. Our pain can be caused by the physical demands of caregiving. It can be mental and emotional pain exacted by sleep deprivation, the trauma of seeing our … [Read more...]
God, Thy Will is hard some days
Why is it that some days everything just seems to flow? Positive energy is everywhere. It keeps you motivated and fills you with an unshakeable feeling that life is truly good. And, why is it that some days everything good can disappear in a heartbeat, despite your diligence and attention to doing what you think are all the right things? Take, for instance, last week. Jan and I … [Read more...]
Prepare The Way
Some of us become parents by chance. Some become parents by choice. But no one I know chooses to become parents of a child with a disability. When that choice was made for us 23 years ago, our world instantly changed. There was no preparation, no training, no idea that anything other than a normal, healthy fetus was developing. From the moment Ben arrived, we were continuously given a laundry … [Read more...]
When The Pain Is Too Much To Bear
The headlights on the road beneath blurred together. I was looking down from the seventh floor at DeVos Children's Hospital in a quiet area for parents. My heart was anything but quiet. Three weeks in ICU had turned my emotions into a paper-thin, fragile thing. Our three-year-old son, Calvin, received a tracheotomy last week to help his collapsing airway after a long bout of illness. We were … [Read more...]