Nick was first officially diagnosed when he was about a year old, which was about the time that I realized I was pregnant again. I calculated that Ryan would still be 2 when the baby arrived and Nick was not accomplishing normal developmental levels. I couldn’t imagine how I was going to manage my life.
Sometimes when Arden and I are talking to someone else, Nick appears to not be paying attention to the conversation. I have wondered if he is bored or if he is having some non-generalized seizures. Whatever the reason, he is not engaged in the conversation and then all of a sudden he will blurt out a few
Nick loves helium filled balloons. They are one of the joyful things in life. For Nick, they indicate a celebration, a party, a time to have fun together. If he sees one, he asks if he can have one. We would always tie the string to his arm so that he could enjoy looking at the
You might not know it, but today was National Wheelchair day. What do you think of when you see someone in a wheelchair? Does it cross your mind to think of the freedom that chair gives the person? I am very grateful to whoever it was that invented the wheelchair. It has made our life
It is said that patience is a virtue. I suppose that is true. My problem is that I have had many situations throughout my life that could be teaching me patience and yet I still experience things that take me to the edge of my patience. I do hope that my capacity for patience is increasing,
In the first few weeks after he was born, Nick just didn’t seem to completely wake up. He was never fully alert. He wasn’t comforted by anything; food, warmth, human touch, nothing seemed to stop him from crying. It wasn’t a loud cry. Just a constant one. In frustration, after what seemed like hours of
It takes courage to live a full life. You might not be fighting a roaring lion in order to save your life and the life of your loved ones, but we all get the chance to exhibit courage. Courage is deciding to move forward even when you are trembling in your boots. It takes courage to march
Even though it had been nice, Nicky’s second Christmas didn’t meet my expectations. Perhaps it was just an indication of where I was emotionally. We didn’t have any extra money and our families knew it. Our siblings all asked what the boys wanted and they were showered with toys. They were very generous. Nicky wasn’t
I have mentioned that Nick broke his ankle last week. Well that has brought many unexpected experiences. Some of them are more fun than others. All have been memorable. Nick continues to amaze me. Let me share this one story as an example. He has been very tired since he broke his ankle. One day this
We were without power for over 36 hours and although that can seem like a hardship to bear, we really were comfortable. Arden has developed a backup-generator system that is automatic. It runs the furnace, many of our appliances and the lights. My main complaint is that we don’t have internet including our internet based
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.
