“You’ve got to be kidding, right? I can’t do that. How am I supposed to do that when I don’t feel it at all?” My wife had just presented an idea she had to our team at work. For the week prior to Thanksgiving, she wanted people to film short videos on gratitude. Each Read More…
Caregivers Aren’t Superheroes
For years I have proclaimed and written that special needs moms are superheroes. I have often proclaimed my awe, amazement, and admiration for the special needs mom and for caregivers. I have shared my thoughts on my own wife and her days as a caregiver to our own son with profound special needs. I’ve Read More…
Even Rocks Get Rope Burns
Even rocks get rope burns. And knee bruises too. Constant pressure and stresses on rocks gradually alters their formations and composition over time. Eventually the pressures wear them down. We have a similar phrase some folks have named “compassion fatigue.” Caregivers will understand the reference. So will special-needs parents. So does my wife. Read More…
We Had Fireworks After All
We didn’t shoot off any fireworks on the Fourth of July. We didn’t even watch others shoot them off. Nor did we attend our city’s big fireworks show either. My special-need son is in bed by 8:30 at night and it’s barely dark. No time at the pool or lake. No backyard games and Read More…
From One Dad To Another
He is completely dependent on me for everything in his life. From the moment he wakes up until the moment he drifts off to sleep at night, I have to provide his every need. He is incapable of surviving in this world without me. He’s utterly helpless on his own. Without me in his Read More…
The Man in the Mirror
I know you. I recognize your face from when we were shaving this morning. You’re the man in the mirror. I see things in your reflection that others don’t see or grasp. Everyone sees that you are a special-needs dad. They see your smiles, they hear your words, and they enjoy your sense of Read More…
What’s In Your Hand?
“What is that in your hand?” After years of searching for purpose, years of struggling to find meaning, and years of wandering in the desert, Moses finally finds the answer in one simple question. The voice from the burning bush queries Moses, “What is that in your hand?” One holy moment. One God-ordained, God-orchestrated, Read More…
The Christmas Gift for Mom
Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined this would happen. It certainly wasn’t the path she had planned out for her life. When she initially got the news she was stunned. After all, this pregnancy wasn’t even expected in the first place. But to then get the news that this child wouldn’t Read More…
Because Every Day
My son doesn’t even know that this Sunday is Mother’s Day. His cognitive challenges and developmental disabilities preclude him from even understanding what Mother’s Day is all about. So, by himself, there won’t be any presentation of gifts to his mom. There won’t be any special card he picked out for the occasion. There Read More…