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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
Most men enjoy elements of competition in sports, education or career pursuits. And in the case of men who become a dad of a child with special needs, well, they quickly learn that their son or daughter isn’t going to perform, work, think, or be like other children. While we can still make sports analogies, the way it plays out is very different than expected. Instead of being in the sports arena with your child, Dad will be called to be a good sport in life! Here are three ways that God has helped us be good sports.
There have been many moments over these 19 years of special needs parenting where my faith hit the same wall. "It's too late, science has spoken" is a lie from Satan. This lie is a big deal because of all of the many miracles recorded in the Bible: the "it's too late" story line shows up over and over again! Come re-visit the story of Christ’s birth, because it is no accident that more than one “medical miracle” occurred for His arrival on earth.
