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

perspective

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Recognizing What We Can Control When Life Overwhelms

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Recognizing What We Can Control When Life Overwhelms

What’s overwhelming you right now? How might overwhelm be conquered in your life? Here are some things we learned when we were in an overwhelming season, things that might work for you, too.

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A Smorgasbord of Gratitude

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A Smorgasbord of Gratitude

Most Thanksgivings, the spread at our family meal is nothing short of fantastic. Whenever I leave the family gathering on Thanksgiving, I always go away with a full stomach, and don’t bemoan the dishes that I did not want to try. This year, I want to take that perspective with my gratitude.

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Six Caregiving Advocacy Tips I'm Learning All Over Again

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Six Caregiving Advocacy Tips I'm Learning All Over Again

The six caregiving advocacy tips I’m learning all over again come with compliments from my mom. She’s experienced some health challenges over the past few months, so my siblings and I are advocating on her behalf. During my years as caregiver for my young son with chronic medical needs, my husband and I gradually discovered six caregiving advocacy tips that work in any caregiving situation.

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Jesus Cares about the Small Things

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Jesus Cares about the Small Things

I could almost hear the voice speaking into my heart. That was weird for me because I can count on one hand the number of times when God has spoken to me that manner. That simple truth—that Jesus cares about the small things—allowed me to comprehend the passage in a new light. And this new perspective can be applied to the very human endeavor of parenting children with special needs and disabilities.

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Looking Back at 2020 from God’s Perspective

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Looking Back at 2020 from God’s Perspective

It’s easy to come up with a list of challenges that took place in 2020. But Melanie Gomez learned some important insights about remembering 2020 in the way God instructed the Israelites, as they entered the Promised Land.