Nick and other people like him can teach us profound lessons, if we are aware and 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 loves to blow bubbles.
We got some great news today. After reviewing new x-rays, the doctor said that Nick’s ankle is healed up and he can retire his walking air cast. I thought that Nick would show more excitement when he heard the news. I think that the doctor wondered if Nick understood what was happening. We took the
Nick’s first 4th of July was life changing. He was 10 1/2 months old in 1980 and although he didn’t cry all the time like he had as an infant, he spent most of his waking hours just looking around. He didn’t really seem to respond to any outside stimuli. We had been living in Tacoma for
Over the years, Arden and I have often heard the comment, “I don’t know how you guys do it. I couldn’t do it.” I believe the secret to our success in caring for our Nick all these years, is that God has placed people in our life that have given us support and love. Some
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.
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
Nick wanted to sing in our church talent night this weekend, and he said that Arden and I needed to sing with him. He said that he wanted to sing his favorite song, which is Phil Coulter’s song, “The Town I love so well.” We told him that it was too long for a talent
Nick loves to sing. At an Irish sing song, if you are willing, people will ask you to sing your party piece. Nick has two favorite songs that he loves to sing at the parties. Both are written by Phil Coulter. “The town I love so well,” was written about “The Troubles” in Phil’s home town
Nick, like the rest of us, learns best from watching others. When all of our kids were little, we noticed that often as his younger siblings were growing up and working on a specific developmental skill, Nick would make great progress in that area. Then that sibling would pass him up, and Nick would be on
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.
