A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with a friend. She asked me, “What, for you, is the most challenging part of having a large family with many children who have special needs?” As a mom to two “typical” children, she was expecting me, I guess, to answer with something like “the never-ending doctors’ appointments.” Or “struggling with compromised immune systems through the long winter … [Read more...]
my young man
I remember when Connor was a baby. "Make the most of every minute, " they told me. "Before you know it, he'll be out of your home." In the midst of diapers, pacifiers, bottles, and very disrupted sleep, I didn't believe them, of course. I blinked, and here we are. Time has absolutely flown by. Almost 17 years later and my firstborn is prayerfully considering his future, college and what the … [Read more...]
SHE NEEDS A MIRACLE FAST!
My heart breaks for all orphans. But every now and then a story ends up in my inbox that just brings me to my knees--begging the Father to intercede. They're the cries for help for children who find themselves in heartbreaking situations--desperate for a miracle. In my home is the sweetest fourteen-year-old girl you will ever meet. Eight years ago she was sent back to her orphanage after her … [Read more...]
raising bigger kids
Anthony and I are on a new journey. It's called the Road of Raising Bigger Kids! This is a whole new stage of life for us. We're used to raising little kids. Wee ones. Dirty diapers and toddler tantrums are a cinch for us. Bring it on! We can handle that stuff. Tweens and teens? Ummm...not so much.Most of the time these days we look at each other with shoulders shrugged and hands up in the … [Read more...]
the night I failed
The longer I am a mother, the more I am convinced that this is the one role that I have in this life that will stretch me, challenge me, humble me, and keep me on my knees more than any other. Nothing has taken my attention off me and onto someone else more than being a mom.Motherhood is hard. No doubt about it. Not every day though. Some days are fabulous and I think I have totally … [Read more...]
lingering longer
Last week I received an email from a sweet friend. Something she said resonated in my heart, and I have been pondering her words for the last few days.Simply because it is just what I feel when I look at my own children. It's something I long to get right in my own life.She simply said that she wanted to "linger longer" with her children. That's it!I too want to linger … [Read more...]
protecting virtue
Oh my. Times have changed. I'm sure we can all agree that things are so very different to what they were twenty (or even ten) years ago. Gosh, I was a high schooler in the eighties. Looking back, those years seem like paradise compared to what kids in high school have to deal with today. Times have changed. And are still changing. Things are getting tougher by the day as the battle for the … [Read more...]
calling all moms of boys!
Life is never a bed of roses, is it? I know mine certainly is not. No way. This little blog of mine was never intended to be a place where I share only our sweet, happy times, but rather a place where I can be real and authentic. I cannot be any other way. Not here, and not in real life.And so tonight I come to you, my blog friends, with a need. A need for … [Read more...]