Caregiving, Challenges, Down Syndrome, Special Needs Parenting
Evana Sandusky
For When You Don’t Feel Thankful

My daughter arrived in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the middle of the night on the eve of Thanksgiving. A tough respiratory virus attacked her lungs, and she needed a substantial amount of oxygen support. And now, this unexpected illness meant Thanksgiving was going to be completely different than we had all planned.

For When You Don’t Feel Thankful
Challenges, Hope, Scripture, Special Needs Parenting
Kara Dedert
When Thankfulness Seems Impossible

Are you scrounging for thankfulness this holiday season? Holidays can be a challenge for those walking through hard days. Perhaps you feel like you've been handed the short-end of the stick; your child is struggling, you’re exhausted and it seems like everybody else has life with a bit more gravy. It’s easy to focus on our circumstances, take stock of what we have and where we are and end up feeling completely void of thankfulness. Is there a cure for this? 

When Thankfulness Seems Impossible
Autism, Caregiving, Challenges, Hope, Special Needs Parenting, Spiritual Growth
Sunita Theiss
Discovering What God Already Knew About Me, ...

I first suspected I had ADHD as a teenager, but finding the right professional to take me seriously was much harder than I expected. Previous attempts only ended in frustration and tears.

Discovering What God Already Knew About Me, Through My Children’s Diagnosis
Caregiving, Challenges, Living Life Daily
Jolene Philo
Enjoying the Holidays with a Food Allergy

Enjoying the holidays with a food allergy sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? After all, eating together is an integral component of the holiday season. I looked forward to making our traditional holiday foods until I was diagnosed with a dairy allergy in 2012. What was to enjoy about the holidays when the foods associated with it were off limits to me?

Enjoying the Holidays with a Food Allergy
Caregiving, Challenges, Grief, Hope, Special Needs Parenting
John Fela (Felageller)
A New Home

It was a short, ten-minute drive from the hotel to the residential facility. I maintained composure while I navigated the busy public roads, and then residential streets. I had a whole range of emotions racing through my body, mind and spirit as we pulled into the campus. This was not just a pleasure drive or a routine errand, this was a significant milestone in the life of my son and our family.

A New Home

faithful

, , , , , ,

Five Depression Hacks For When You are Struggling

, , , , , ,
Five Depression Hacks For When You are Struggling

I am in a significantly depressed season. Maybe you’re like me. You can give at work, but you cannot give at home. Here are my favorite—and most effective—depression hacks, and I sincerely hope they help you.

, , , , , , , , , ,

Three Truths for CHD Awareness Day

, , , , , , , , , ,
Three Truths for CHD Awareness Day

February 14 is the date to celebrate love in the hearts of two people, and it’s also Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day. Initially, our daughter’s heart diagnoses came as a shock. My husband and I didn’t know how to process the diagnoses and the treatments. Years have passed, and we now have a healthier perspective. Today, I share three truths I discovered as a mom of a child with a CHD.

, , , , ,

How I Find Refuge When I Am Not Enough

, , , , ,
How I Find Refuge When I Am Not Enough

When I think back on the hardest days and years of our son’s journey, I recall wanting God’s help, expecting His help, waiting for His help, while all the time trying to solve all the problems and carry all the burdens on my own. I don’t remember asking for His help or moving to Him for His help and shelter until I completely exhausted myself and physically broke.

, , ,

Why I Shouldn't Justify My Fear

, , ,
Why I Shouldn't Justify My Fear

My daughter has been hospitalized many times for recurring lung infections. Now, whenever my daughter has a little cough, fear swells up in me. Surely, anyone in my situation would feel this same way. I try to justify it, but it doesn’t make such fear right.