Celebrating Giving.
The holidays are a special time of the year when we recognize and celebrate generously giving to others. During this season we are unselfish as we look for places to serve others through volunteering and supporting charitable...
Nick had a surprise visitor today.
This afternoon I learned that someone very special to Nick was going to make a short house-call visit to Nick. Santa Claus was coming to our house so that Nick could meet with him and let him know what he wanted for Christmas. It has been...
Home For The Holidays.
At the holidays thoughts are turned to home. What actually constitutes our home? Is it where our family lives or where we were raised? Is it where we are employed or is it a place that only exists in our memory? Today we are heading back...
Reconnect Over The Holidays
The holidays are a special time of the year. The music and holiday movies remind us of the importance of our friends and family. As our lives get busier, we can easily lose the connection with others. Although often it’s not...
My Glass Is Half Full.
Discouragement and overwhelm seem to chase me. Yesterday I wasn’t well, and although the sun was shining, I spent the day inside recovering. This morning I woke up, still tired, but no longer sick. I opened the drapes in anticipation...
That man fall down!
The other morning we were stopped at a traffic light and Nick exclaimed, “Look mom, that man fall down.” Just as Nick said that, Arden and I both saw an older gentleman fall to the sidewalk while having a tonic-clonic seizure. ...
Because You Loved Me.
Sometimes when the days seem hard, I seek music that will help move me through those dark times. I am grateful for the many songs that combine insightful lyrics with talented vocalists. The song writers and performers are able to...
Where’s the instruction manual?
Sometimes I have wished that kids came with an instruction manual. This is especially true when raising a child with special needs. Most parenting books are designed to help parents gain the skills and expertise needed to raise healthy, well...
The Road Not Taken.
Since, as my kids point out, I have lived in seven decades, I have plenty of life to look back on and I wonder what my life would have been like if I had made different decisions. Growing older, the poem “The Road Not Taken” takes on...
There Are Angels Among Us.
Music is very important to Nick and often he wakes up singing. Today it was Alabama’s hit “Angels Among Us.” Some of the lyrics are circling my mind long after he had moved onto the next song. “Oh, I believe there are...
Is it good luck or bad luck? How do you know?
We follow an Irish girl vocal group called the Henry Girls. They sing a poignant ballad called “How Do You Know?” The main question posed by the lyrics is: How can you tell if an event or a situation is good luck or bad luck? ...
We’re off on a grand adventure.
We are in Carndonagh, Co. Donegal, Ireland. For some it would be the trip of a lifetime, but since we come here a couple of times a year, the trip doesn’t have that same sense of the unknown. Don’t get me wrong, we love it here. We...