Home / I can do hard things / Page 12
If you ask my cousin in Ireland how he is doing, the reply often is “Keeping the bright side out.” He explained this to me as when he is under pressure, he finds is easier to smile through the day, while working on keeping his thoughts moving toward the brighter side too. It is a
Yesterday Arden and I witnessed another Nick miracle. I took a picture. Over the weekend I had been playing Bananagrams with friends. It is a game where lettered tiles are used to spell words. Nick was struggling to pick up the tiles. We searched the internet and discovered that there is a similar game with
Last week we were at a family reunion in Ireland. We had a wonderful night with our relations. Nick had his picture taken with his 3rd cousin Gary Doherty. Gary is 5 months younger than Nick. Gary and Nick are both retired. During his career in the premier soccer league, Gary was called Doc or
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,
One of the main things that we recognize about Nick, is that he finds joy in many things. Situations that many people term the simple pleasures of life. Everyday he experiences something in his life that he feels is wonderful and it lights up his face. You can see an example of this in
NORD, or the National Organization for Rare Disorders truly is a life-saving organization. NORD, along with its more than 230 patient organization members, is committed to the identification, treatment, and cure of rare disorders through programs of education, advocacy, research, and patient services. Donations to NORD directly benefit families like ours. One of the programs
Nick will speak his mind. His speech is not always understood by others and often we become his translators. He also isn’t always aware of expected cultural social behavior. Sometimes this turns out to be funny, sometimes it is not so funny. In any case we all get to decide how to respond to his
Over the years, Arden and I have tried to discover things that will make caring for Nick easier both for us as well as easier for him. Some ideas have worked out and others we have scrapped. Sometimes we are brainstorming and planning for awhile and other times, the light turns on and a solution
On Sunday afternoon we visited Strokestown House and the Irish National Famine Museum in Co. Sligo, Ireland. It was a unique and memorable experience. The weather was fantastic, but the warmest part was the wonderful treatment we received from the guides and staff at the site. Strokestown House is a Georgian Palladian mansion preserved with
In Enniscrone, Co. Sligo, Ireland, there is a large 767 airplane in a field. It is part of the Quirky Glamping Village. As you know, Nick loves planes and we were told we had to see it. He thought it was very funny. Over the weekend, we heard many stories about the man who envisioned
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.
