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...]
New Priorities for Parents in the New School Year
With the new school year picking up speed, it’s easy for me to forget the lessons hard learned over the summer. My gracious Father has been very committed to teaching me about living in true peace, and I want to be intentional about wrestling with the moments that send peace running to the hills. Many of those moments are connected to my children and their various challenges. After an episode like … [Read more...]
Making Peace a Priority
Crisis with Strawberry Jelly Have you ever noticed how long it takes to feel settled and calm after dealing with a crisis incident? For example, your special little darling gets into the jelly that a friend left in your home (you hadn’t realized before 5 seconds ago that jelly was even in your home) … strawberry jelly, and he’s allergic to strawberries. No, he doesn’t have an anaphylactic … [Read more...]
How to Peacefully Raise and Release Your Special-Needs Child
I just texted these words to my 23-year old daughter who has autism. “Hi. I haven’t talked to you in a week. How are things?” Katie lives across town in a little house by herself. She loves it. It seems to be working for the whole family, but such a casual interaction with my child seems strange. It would be normal for a typical family, but I feel like I'm missing something. Reacting like a … [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...]
There is so much to be thankful for!
It’s tough to get beyond the fear and negativity that the world throws us each day. At times, it seems relentless. When you add in the commercial pressures and the loneliness that the Christmas season often brings, it can be even tougher to see any abundance in our lives let alone be thankful. Every one of us get caught up in the busy-ness and urgency of the day and, little by little, can lose … [Read more...]