Caregiving, Challenges, Medically Fragile, Special Needs Parenting
Jolene Philo
When God Redeemed My Worst Christmas Ever and ...

When God redeemed my worst Christmas ever by using it for good, it came as a big surprise. Most likely because 1982 was the year of my worst Christmas ever, and the using it for good part didn’t come along until December of 2024. 42 years is a long time, which explains my surprise.

When God Redeemed My Worst Christmas Ever and Used It for Good
Caregiving, Challenges, Living Life Daily, Hope, Love, Marriage, Special Needs Parenting
Joe and Cindi Ferrini
We're Not Alone

Seasons help us to realize we’re not alone. We might still feel alone but we can see things differently and then change our thinking, and even our responses. We know everyone goes through “stuff” but sometimes we need to recognize it just happens to be our turn. The harder part is that we still have someone we are caring for full time, 24/7 added to the new hard stuff!

We're Not Alone
Autism, Caregiving, Disability Awareness, Hope, Special Needs Parenting
Shannon Blosser
Christmas Doesn’t Have to Be Silent

For families like mine, with an autistic child and my own ADHD and anxiety, Christmas is rarely “calm” or “bright.” In fact, it is often loud, noisy, and overwhelming. Our children get overwhelmed by the lights and the new items. We, as parents, get overwhelmed by all the mess and noise. There are so many sensory inputs flowing through that you feel like you are in a never-ending vacuum of noise. And, that doesn’t even take into account that I’m operating on just a few hours of sleep after leading multiple Christmas services as a pastor.

Christmas Doesn’t Have to Be Silent
Caregiving, Challenges, Down Syndrome, Living Life Daily, Love, Special Needs Parenting
Evana Sandusky
A Tale of 2 Women, Vastly Different But Forever ...

Ruth saw a bright future for herself. She didn’t have an exact plan in front of her. But at 18, she vaguely knew what she wanted in the future: a master’s degree, a husband, a job she enjoyed, and children. Emma was on another path altogether. When Emma turned 18, she was already enrolled in a school for students with more significant disabilities.

A Tale of 2 Women, Vastly Different But Forever Tied Together
Autism, Challenges, Special Needs Parenting, Scripture, Non-Speaking Communicatio
Mark Arnold
Zechariah’s story: Lessons about non-speaking ...

Zechariah, despite being visited by an angel, doubted what he had been told, and so Gabriel told him that because of this doubt, Zechariah would not be able to speak until his son was born. So, he became unable to speak, and therefore unable to communicate through speech. What did he do? And what does his story teach us about people who cannot communicate by speech, or choose not to, today?

Zechariah’s story: Lessons about non-speaking communication

New Year

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Faith, Fears, and New Year Planners

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Faith, Fears, and New Year Planners

Evana Sandusky writes on the fears and faith she has for the New Year, as she reflects on a trip to buy a 2024 Yearly planner.

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Plans, Christmas and the New Year - Oh My!

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Plans, Christmas and the New Year - Oh My!

Do you feel behind and are you experiencing the pressure of the Christmas season? I have learned that it is best if I work a little throughout the year in order to be ready for the holidays. Here are some tips to help caregivers enjoy this season.

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Max at Midnight: When a moment of truth defines your entire existence

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Max at Midnight: When a moment of truth defines your entire existence

The thought of a new year should have helped me lift the edge of the rug and sweep the past behind. But instead I felt myself wrestling with angst for what is to come, for the unknown and unseen. But God has never left our side, even on the darkest of days. God is with me. God is with my son. And He is not asking us to step forward into the unknown—not without him.

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Going in to 2019 with Hope, Even If 2018 Was Hard

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Going in to 2019 with Hope, Even If 2018 Was Hard

What will we take with us into the new year ahead? Will we drag the chains of the struggles and trials of the old year with us into the new? Will we allow the failures, regressions and setbacks of the last year define us and our child? Or will we use these experiences to shape us positively for the year ahead; to bear our scars as symbols of where we have been, what we have endured together, the experience we have acquired together, to take into the future to help us, our child, and others, to navigate through another year.