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

Spiritual Growth

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Do I Trust Him?

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Do I Trust Him?

As parents or caregivers of someone with special needs we often have hard seasons; times where “troubles assail us” as the hymn writer once wrote. Perhaps you have a ‘Plan B’ in your back pocket for unexpected situations or you have a mental list of who to call or where to get help when needed, but there are times when we don’t have an inkling of an idea of what to do next or how we can continue in the hard times. Our human nature wants to be in control and fix the situation and we find it hard to trust that “God’s got this” when the situation seems to have no end.

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I Take Care of You

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I Take Care of You

John Fela writes about a time when the Lord showed up in his life, to remind him that he takes care of him, in all of life’s circumstances.

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The Impact our Words May Have on the Children We Serve

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The Impact our Words May Have on the Children We Serve

The impact our words may have on the children we serve in whatever capacity––as their parents, caregivers, grandparents, teachers, neighbors, business owners, and more–– often goes unseen. We know our words make a difference because we remember how the adults in our lives impacted our childhoods. 

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Staying On Course When the Path Disappears (Practical Advice for Parenting Adults with IDD)

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Staying On Course When the Path Disappears (Practical Advice for Parenting Adults with IDD)

“Parenting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) can be a lot like driving with a “that’s-so-2000’s” Garmin. The best information we have ultimately feels utterly inadequate.” Steph Hubach

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A Checklist for Building A Resilient Faith

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A Checklist for Building A Resilient Faith

Resilience is defined as the ability to withstand or recover quickly from a difficult situation. To have a resilient faith we need to build into our spiritual lives the actions needed to recover from the hurts, the pain and the relentless suffering that dealing with disability brings. By keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus we will be able to withstand the challenges that we face. Mary Underwood shares about having resilient faith for special needs parents.