Autism, Caregiving, Challenges, Hope, Special Needs Parenting, Spiritual Growth
Sunita Theiss
This Year, We Can Rest in the Sacredness of ...

As the New Year begins, we are often bombarded with messages encouraging us to aim high, make big resolutions, and do more. But as parents—especially those navigating disability—this approach can feel overwhelming. Instead of striving for lofty goals, what if we embraced the sacredness of small steps and new beginnings? What if we allowed ourselves the grace to parent differently—in a way that meets the unique needs of our families and honors the season we’re in? For many families like mine, Sunday mornings don’t look like they “should.” We are navigating multiple invisible disabilities—diagnoses like autism, ADHD, anxiety, and more—and we’ve had to embrace flexibility, creativity, and sometimes just letting things go when things feel too hard

This Year, We Can Rest in the Sacredness of Small Beginnings
Caregiving, Challenges, Medically Fragile, Special Needs Parenting
Jolene Philo
When God Redeemed My Worst Christmas Ever and ...

When God redeemed my worst Christmas ever by using it for good, it came as a big surprise. Most likely because 1982 was the year of my worst Christmas ever, and the using it for good part didn’t come along until December of 2024. 42 years is a long time, which explains my surprise.

When God Redeemed My Worst Christmas Ever and Used It for Good
Caregiving, Challenges, Living Life Daily, Hope, Love, Marriage, Special Needs Parenting
Joe and Cindi Ferrini
We're Not Alone

Seasons help us to realize we’re not alone. We might still feel alone but we can see things differently and then change our thinking, and even our responses. We know everyone goes through “stuff” but sometimes we need to recognize it just happens to be our turn. The harder part is that we still have someone we are caring for full time, 24/7 added to the new hard stuff!

We're Not Alone
Autism, Caregiving, Disability Awareness, Hope, Special Needs Parenting
Shannon Blosser
Christmas Doesn’t Have to Be Silent

For families like mine, with an autistic child and my own ADHD and anxiety, Christmas is rarely “calm” or “bright.” In fact, it is often loud, noisy, and overwhelming. Our children get overwhelmed by the lights and the new items. We, as parents, get overwhelmed by all the mess and noise. There are so many sensory inputs flowing through that you feel like you are in a never-ending vacuum of noise. And, that doesn’t even take into account that I’m operating on just a few hours of sleep after leading multiple Christmas services as a pastor.

Christmas Doesn’t Have to Be Silent
Caregiving, Challenges, Down Syndrome, Living Life Daily, Love, Special Needs Parenting
Evana Sandusky
A Tale of 2 Women, Vastly Different But Forever ...

Ruth saw a bright future for herself. She didn’t have an exact plan in front of her. But at 18, she vaguely knew what she wanted in the future: a master’s degree, a husband, a job she enjoyed, and children. Emma was on another path altogether. When Emma turned 18, she was already enrolled in a school for students with more significant disabilities.

A Tale of 2 Women, Vastly Different But Forever Tied Together

Love

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When You Recognize Your Child with Disabilities as Someone Special

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When You Recognize Your Child with Disabilities as Someone Special

It's sometimes hard to say that our kids with special needs are someone special, when things drive us crazy with their repetitive verbalizations, when we can’t sleep because they are up all night, when we’re exhausted, and the list goes on and on. But always, always, we get to a point that we see our child/children with the uniqueness of God’s fingerprint on them.

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She Calls for Me, I Call for Him

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She Calls for Me, I Call for Him

My daughter is a gifted communicator even though she rarely speaks in sentences. “Mom” is one word that has a multitude of meanings. There’s one version of my name that I hate hearing, the one that conveys to me that she is upset or scared. As she yells “mom,” I often cry out to God in those moments, too.

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Five Reasons Why Love Isn't All You Need

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Five Reasons Why Love Isn't All You Need

We all love our children with special needs, caring for them with all the love we have inside of us. While love is the biggest most important thing we have going for us in this unexpected journey, there are indeed other things needed to get us to the finish line! Here are five that have been important to our family.