What DO you do when a child works harder to escape a room than he does work the puzzles at the table? How can you possibly know where the boundaries should be with a child who inherently has none? Where is the line between nurturing and structure? While there aren’t clear answers to these questions, there IS clear theology about our family’s place in the Body of Christ. Sherri Wirt writes a short devotional for special needs parents that feel they don’t fit at church.
Jolene Philo gives 10 vacation planning tips for families with special needs! Jolene Philo will be speaking at Disability & the Church 2024 in Orlando, FL May 1-3! Go to www.keyministry.org/datc2024 to register now.
Like a new outfit that looks crisp and sharp or an old outfit that is so worn out it’s comfy and we wear it all the time….is often how we wear the banner of the special needs journey. How does it look on us? On you? Is our attire crisp and sharp or rather worn out? Cindi Ferrini writes on how YOU wear special needs and caregiving.
There is a group that many churches simply do not see and are therefore missing a great opportunity for ministry. That group is special needs dads. Guys, like me, who are caring for individuals with disabilities/special needs. This is an incredible group of men! Steve Chatman will be speaking at Disability & the Church 2024 in Orlando, FL May 1-3. Go to www.keyministry.org/datc2024 to register now.
Over the years, I have been through multiple seasons of planting and harvesting skills with my daughter. My daughter is now entering adulthood with disabilities. There are still skills that she needs to develop to make her life easier. The learning does not stop as she ages, however, the pressure I put on myself all of those years is gone. I don’t need to fix issues. I simply need to support her through them. Evana Sandusky writes on her daughter’s growth through the years and likens it to planting seeds and yielding the harvest.
Parents of children living with disability or complex medical conditions find themselves needing to recruit an army of resources and a robust system of supports. But asking for help can be so painful. An invitation-without-obligation approach to asking for help can offer valuable insight for our situations.
As a writer, blogger and author, I’m well acquainted with the rigors, frustrations and chronic disappointment associated with creating content, getting published, and the awkward process of marketing one’s own material. I am also mom to an adult daughter with complex health and developmental needs. Like other writers and moms of children with disabilities, I’ve fallen prey to negative messages and self-pity. Inspired by Lori Stanley Roeleveld’s strategy, allow me to paraphrase a plan for protecting our hearts, minds and lives from debilitating patterns.
I have been numb with depression lately. Except on those days when I am energized by anger. Some of it has to do with the pandemic and continued quarantine; some of it has to do with family relationships and health challenges. And then a daily meditation popped up, challenging me to choose a contained life.
