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
Caregiving, Special Needs Parenting
Stephanie McKeever
Finding Thankfulness in Disability

There were young kids, teens, young adults, even his best friend, all playing together, learning and laughing. But, there was no sign of my child. I searching the parking lot where everyone was talking and hanging out with their families; not there either. Here is where most people panic. But, deep down I knew; look with the younger kids. It was there I found him, rolling down the hill, filled with that bold childhood laughter, having the time of his life. No pressure here. No one asking him to make quick decisions he had to worry about in that football game. There was only freedom and joy. I want him to be something he isn’t sometimes, but I’m learning to start finding the thankful in disability.

Finding Thankfulness in Disability

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Caring for a Family Member in the Hospital

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Caring for a Family Member in the Hospital

The basics of caring for a family member in the hospital, whether a child or adult, are the same. Maybe what recently worked for my Mom can help you, too, when your loved one is hospitalized.

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She Calls for Me, I Call for Him

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She Calls for Me, I Call for Him

My daughter is a gifted communicator even though she rarely speaks in sentences. “Mom” is one word that has a multitude of meanings. There’s one version of my name that I hate hearing, the one that conveys to me that she is upset or scared. As she yells “mom,” I often cry out to God in those moments, too.

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Building Faith in God to Endure Even More

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Building Faith in God to Endure Even More

This year has required endurance. There were many stressors in 2020 that individually would have been difficult enough for most people. There have been several events this year that have led me to cry out for things to be different, normal, or better. Yet in prayer, I have felt God ask me one question: Are you ready to endure even more?

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Birthdays and Disabilities Are Like Cake and Ice Cream

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Birthdays and Disabilities Are Like Cake and Ice Cream

Birthdays and disabilities are like cake and ice cream for my family. We can’t have one without the other. For many years I didn’t appreciate this truth. But now I do.

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My First Christmas Away from Home

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My First Christmas Away from Home

Our first Christmas away from home was a gift wrapped in our son's special needs. It was not the first Christmas away from home I would have chosen. But it was the gift we were given. It was and is one of the most valuable, precious gifts we have ever received. If your child's special needs are shaping the holiday into something different than what you expected, take heart.