Last night two friends and I went to see Anne Lamott present her newest book, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope. Lamott is one of my favorite authors. She’s funny, vulnerable, irreverent, and REAL. I love the combination of real and funny. She makes me laugh and cry at the same time, which is kind of a…
Ever at the forefront of our mind’s as the parents of children with special needs is the Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Those three letters: I – E – P, conjure up a plethora of feelings within each of us: anxiety, anger, release, struggle, liberty, entitlement, law, obligation… We are told by many people how to…
The moment we walked in he flashed his mega-watt smile and began his “I’m so excited” run around moves. I pretty much knew it had nothing to do with his dear old mom and EVERYTHING to do with his friends arriving. Friends. We all need ‘em. As parents of those with special needs, most of…
My son Sam is a worrier and a perfectionist. Those two do not go hand in hand easily. What Sam struggles with the most is that he does not undertake anything he does not think he can accomplish. When beginning something new, he goes through a period of worrying about and analyzing the thing he…
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 KJV I sat outside of a Federal Prison yard and fought back deep, heavy tears of gratitude. A feeling that I was about to be overwhelmed by a…
I read the title of the message, Let Hope Arise, on the large screen in the front of the church. “Hope, I got this,” I thought. After the speaker began, I realized I didn’t have hope, at least not in every area. I regretfully admit that I felt odd as we repeated the speaker who…
…That Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the…
Let’s talk movies for a change shall we? No, I don’t mean what you streamed last online or what is playing at your local movieplex. I’m referring to a very specific genre of film, and one that has very special and unique meaning for me: the Jesus movie. If you are a Christian you have…
My formerly feisty, stubborn, and determined mother turned 90 during Labor Day weekend of 2018. The weekend was also the 10th anniversary of when we realized Mom was having memory problems. When she decided to move in with my brother and his family. When I took over her finances. When my sister from out of…
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month when thousands of families across the globe advocate for the people they love and educate friends on what it is they want them to know about Down syndrome. What I want you all to know has hopefully been woven into every single thing I’ve shared online for the past…