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Nick is continually teaching me. Often his perception is profoundly different than mine. I learn these lessons if I am paying attention. One of the easiest things to notice about Nick is that he finds joy in simple pleasures. He loves it when people are laughing. He loves to hug others and receive hugs. He
Have you ever tried to read the bridge section of the daily newspaper. It’s in the section with the puzzles and comics. Even when I try hard, I can’t envision what is happening. The author uses words that I have heard before, but not in the same context that I understand, so I am lost.
Tomorrow I am presenting at the MIRCI (Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement) conference in Florence, Italy. Today as I reviewed my notes and slides for the presentation titled, “Empowering Mothers of Special Needs Children,” I revisited some of the memories and experiences of my 38-year journey of being Nick’s mom. I am grateful
Yesterday, after six weeks of working on riding our stationary bike, I rode 26 minutes. At the beginning of January, I was able to ride about 5 minutes. I had worked up to 15 minutes every day after a few weeks, but then I fell off the wagon and didn’t ride for a week. So
Nick is a great example to me. One thing that was obvious from the first time he started physical therapy when he was a year old was that he was willing to try new things. He is open to new experiences and challenges. I often will look at the task at hand and determine in
We live in a world that honors high achievement. I was raised in a family culture that expected excellence in school, in sports and in my career. There is nothing wrong with working hard to achieve goals. However, if this intense goal-oriented life is accompanied by self-doubt and feelings of not being good enough, then
For the past four months, I have been working on the second draft of the book I am writing about raising Nick. I have such compassion for the young mother that I was. I am astounded at the things that I have been able to do over the years. I am very grateful that I
Some days for Nick are better than others. His capabilities and capacities seem to be variable. When he is having a good day, we encourage him by letting him be as independent as possible in his self-care. Sometimes if we are in a hurry or forget that he can do a task, he will remind
This past weekend, Nick had a bit of a cold. I was so grateful that he had learned to blow his nose. He was 13 then. Back in the summer of 1993, (that sounds like the beginning of a song!) we took an epic trip to Ireland with our extended family. Arden and I
Today I took Nick to his day program. He calls it school. The name really is Bridge of Promise and the program is based here in Carnation, WA. Nick loves it. They go on field trips and do group activities in the school room. There are students, teachers and volunteers involved in the program. This morning,
Announcing that I have finished a book with the working title of “The Fairy Fort.” I am currently pitching it to publishers. Keep checking back to watch the progress of my newest novel.
Here is a quick glimpse of the story.
Sarah Doherty is an 18-year-old living in rural Ireland at the tail end of the Great War. Plagued by severe epilepsy, she is protected by her parents and lives a sheltered, secluded, lonely life. The Fae, local Irish fairies, interfere with her life. She falls forward a century in time through the local fairy fort of standing stones. She had a seizure in 1918 and woke up in 2020. The 21st century world includes life-saving prescriptions, physical comforts and the independence and freedom she seeks. The locals are welcoming and Andy Mclaughlin, a handsome young historian, is intriguing. She doesn’t want to return home.
Then a letter arrives from Boston divulging the story of Sarah and Andy’s lives that are deeply entwined in the previous century. They are not yet in love but as they seek to verify the letter through online resources, they feel a growing obligation to their unborn family and to each other. What would happen to their posterity living in Boston if they don’t return to 1918? Even if they do make it back, her parents can never know what happened to her or that would change everything.
This Young Adult time-travel romance explores the question: Do we have the freedom to make choices or is free will an elaborate illusion?
This is my third book. I love reading time travel romances. I am an advocate for epilepsy awareness because my 43-year-old son has intractable epilepsy. As a genealogist specializing in Irish research, I live part of the year in the village where the story is based. I wrote the book to help young adults understand that difficult situations can change your life. Sometimes miraculously.
