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.
How many of us counted the cost (both emotionally and financially) of what it would take to raise a child and/or care for an aging parent? Many are doing both…Because we love our child, we don’t often consider the cost because we simply do what is needed and want the best for them.
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?
Have you ever found yourself in a time of waiting? Maybe it was for test results, a health issue, your loved ones’ diagnosis, a job, marriage, or….? During that time of waiting, how did you respond? We do not always understand why we go through challenges and frustrating times of waiting but what we do have control over is our reaction to this waiting period.
When I was in grade school, my older brother told me a secret. “Mom hides the Christmas gifts in a garbage sack in the closet,” he confessed. I don’t have to worry about my daughter with Down Syndrome pulling some of those shenanigans that I once pulled at Christmas. But like me, she loves Christmas, and it is such a joy to experience this time of year with her and her brother.
