Reassurance for the Caregiving Roller Coaster Ride

Reassurance for the Caregiving Roller Coaster Ride

Recently, I was on a walk at Prairie Queen Lake, which is bursting this time of year with blooming trees, insects, birds, and fish. It is buzzing with life and the energetic fervor which summer brings. As I was going along the trail, however, I came upon a dead...
Back to School Prayer for Your Special Child and Family

Back to School Prayer for Your Special Child and Family

Heavenly Father, I am excited and grateful but anxious about this new schoolyear for my child with disabilities or other extra needs. If I’m honest, I am relieved to have some respite. It’s been a long summer. We all need a break from each other. And I need some rest....
Crumbled Cookies Brought Heaven’s Truth

Crumbled Cookies Brought Heaven’s Truth

I have long wrestled with why God gave me children with disabilities — as in plural. I’m the mother of 5 sons, three with special needs. Our special needs story began in 1999 when our third son was born with CHARGE Syndrome. I gave birth to our second child with...
What Is Your Main Thing?

What Is Your Main Thing?

“The storm may be around you, but it doesn’t have to be in you.” —Kris Vallotton What if there was one sentence that helped anchor and calm us when our child’s disability is threatening to steal our joy? Comparison is one joy stealer for many special needs parents. We...
Four Ways to Become a More Satisfied Special Needs Dad

Four Ways to Become a More Satisfied Special Needs Dad

We’ve been celebrating dads this past weekend. And so we should. They have a uniquely tough, demanding, relentless, and nuanced role in parenting. And when they have a child with extra needs, they bear a role that can be intimidating, confusing, overwhelming, scary,...
When Caregiving Sparks Stress Instead of Joy, What Can You Do?

When Caregiving Sparks Stress Instead of Joy, What Can You Do?

When caregiving sparks stress instead of joy, what can you do about it? That’s a question I began mulling over since I posted a survey on my website about stress and compassion fatigue in caregivers way back in 2019. Within 2 days, the survey had been completed...