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

Special Needs Parenting

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Everything Old is New Again

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Everything Old is New Again

One year after the pandemic began, there is still a great amount of fear and uncertainty involved in our daily lives. Reflecting on 2020, there were so many days and weeks that led me feel completely abandoned by God. So having ‘faith’ in God may seem like shallow words, when one is dealing with intense crisis and pain. But one thing that has helped me have faith is to reflect on those times when God showed up, even when I didn’t expect Him to. I had such an experience recently, where I found myself in a familiar place, having my faith tested very much as it has been in the past.

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Seven Ways to Demonstrate Christ-Like Advocacy

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Seven Ways to Demonstrate Christ-Like Advocacy

I was scrolling through my social media when an image popped up that said, “Calling me mama bear is a sweet way to describe the fact that I’d tear you open if you hurt my child.” I giggled in agreement, but later pondered the question, “What does Christ-like advocacy look like for my child?” Here are seven ways I found to advocate that represent Christ well.

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Three Benefits of Recited Prayers

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Three Benefits of Recited Prayers

I grew up in a small, charismatic church where long, eloquent, and unique prayers were the norm. But having my child with an intellectual disability and limited verbal speech made me understand the need to make recited prayers more commonplace. Here are three benefits of using recited prayers in special needs ministry and in families with special needs.

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The Decision Fatigue Caregivers Will Face as We Adjust to Life after the Pandemic

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The Decision Fatigue Caregivers Will Face as We Adjust to Life after the Pandemic

We’re all reemerging at different speeds from a season of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. But instead of feeling freedom and optimism, many of us are facing new challenges. One of those challenges is being overwhelmed by having choices again and then feeling judged for the choices we’ll be making for our families. Let’s talk about how to be confident in the decisions we will make by battling against two big enemies when it comes to decision making: fear and guilt.

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Resources to Help You Pray Scripture as a Special Needs Parent

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Resources to Help You Pray Scripture as a Special Needs Parent

Several years ago, both of my young sons received several diagnoses and I found myself an anxious and overwhelmed special needs mom, living in survival mode and desperate for God. All my desperate prayers seemed to go unanswered. But just as my sons needed speech therapy to learn to communicate with us, I learned I needed Scripture to help me communicate with God in a new and powerful way.