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

meltdown

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Three C's for Surviving COVID-19 as a Single Special Needs Parent

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Three C's for Surviving COVID-19 as a Single Special Needs Parent

I had just dropped off my son after having him for the weekend, as it was my time with him, according to the parenting agreement with my ex-wife. I no sooner put the car in reverse than I heard the declaration on the radio during a COVID-19 briefing that all restaurants, cafes and bars were to be closed indefinitely. Children like mine don’t just “do better” with routines and structure, they require it. I want to share some ideas and perspective on this time as a new single parent of an autistic child and how I, and more importantly, we as a family still, are coping.

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Come To Me - During Quarantine, and Every Day

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Come To Me - During Quarantine, and Every Day

When you are sheltering in place, come to ME. When you are out serving in an essential job, come to ME. This came to me in the shower. Yes, I’m still showering now and then. The ME in this writing is Jesus. Except last line is all Deb!

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Solitude: Learning to Let God be God

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Solitude: Learning to Let God be God

How often do we, as parents of kids with disabilities, crown ourselves King or Queen when it seems obvious that no one else can perform the miracles we pull out of the hat on a daily basis? We crown ourselves indispensable, don’t we? But if Jesus didn’t consider himself indispensable, why should we?

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Here's A Hug For You!

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Here's A Hug For You!

To all the tired moms out there, the tired dads, the tired grandparents who help their tired children take a break now and then; to all the teachers, therapists, caregivers, personal assistants, and anyone who helps our kids: This is for YOU! Here’s a hug for YOU!

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Enlarged in the Waiting: A New Take on Waiting for God to Answer Prayer

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Enlarged in the Waiting: A New Take on Waiting for God to Answer Prayer

My husband and I have been in major waiting mode for the past three months. I am growing impatient, frustrated. Mildly depressed. Dare I say, a little hopeless. But God is using this season to enlarge me. In this waiting time, I need to allow more of God’s Spirit to grow within me.