'This belongs to' ... realizing who our special needs kids really belong to in a hospital cafeteria I sit in the hospital cafeteria, a half-eaten chicken sandwich and a bottle of water is positioned in front of me on the plastic tray that reminds me of grade school. My foot taps. A loud metronome sounds in my head. Tick, tick, tick, tick. I scoop up another bite of chocolate pudding with whipped … [Read more...]
How to Fight Discouragement
Matt and I sat on the sofa looking grim. It was another hard night for my husband and me. We were anxious about our cash flow, with many bills looming and new work projects disappearing from our collective professional horizons. Just one more wave of financial stress for our family, and the waves had been crashing around us since 2008. There were so many things that our family needed, and we … [Read more...]
One More for the Road
While I may be good at many things, there is one thing at which I do not excel. Driving. Just ask my children and they will regale you with driving stories of automotive shame and humiliation. It is simply a fact that if there is a way to get lost, I will find it. Which is why, several years ago, I was so very proud of myself for not only managing to drive successfully to O’Hare International … [Read more...]
The Power of Encouragement
"I bought more candy-grams, Mom," Alec says with a big smile as we drive home from school just two days before Valentine's Day. "Alec, you already bought twelve candy-grams," I frown. "Do you really need more?" Alec's school was selling the candy-grams as a fundraiser for the holiday. For twenty-five cents you could send a single hard candy with a note of friendship. This particular … [Read more...]
If you feel alone and invisible …
Having a child with a disability can be difficult. There are moments you wonder if anyone will ever understand or get what it is like to walk in your shoes. You parent a child with special needs and sometimes you feel alone and invisible. But you are not. Today, I want to tell you that I see you. I see you in the middle of the day, tired. Your hair pulled back in a ponytail and a stain on … [Read more...]
You’re Not Alone
C.S. Lewis has a quote that I love...“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” I think most of us have felt alone in our circumstances at least once in lives. I certainly felt alone when my son received the diagnosis of Autism at the age of two and a half. My son Ryan, will be twenty in a few months and the years have … [Read more...]