Autism, Caregiving, Hope, Love, Special Needs Parenting
Sunita Theiss
This Small Change in Communication Taught Me a ...

A few years ago, I made a change in the way I interact with my children. It’s a small practice, but it has profoundly helped our family understand and grasp the truth that God loves and delights in us. Every single day, I tell my kids, “I love being your mom.” This intentional habit has transformed not just my relationship with my children but also how I relate to God.

This Small Change in Communication Taught Me a Big Lesson About God’s Love
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
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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 Hope in Asking When

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The Hope in Asking When

“My daughter has changed so much in this area during her 18 years of life. It’s progress, and it’s a small thing that I appreciate as her mother now. During those years when it didn’t go well, they were hard. Haircuts haven’t been the only area of growth. I recall being completely anxious every time I left the house with my daughter alone as she would run off and not respond to my pleas to stop. The running off and the anxiousness eventually stopped, but life was hard until then.” Evana Sandusky

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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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You CAN Pour from an Empty Cup

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You CAN Pour from an Empty Cup

You can pour from an empty cup. Some will differ with me. I will stick to it because I have lived it and perhaps YOU have as well. What do we do with an empty cup? We fill it when we need to drink from it. It’s upon need. Cindi Ferrini shares advice to fill a caregiver’s cup.