Seven minutes. Seven minutes of chest compressions as they struggled to restart my heart. Seven minutes between life and death. I was receiving a dialysis treatment when I realized I was rapidly getting short of breath and struggling to breathe. In a matter of minutes I went into respiratory arrest. Becky had 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…
Peter Pan…In Case You Wonder
Many people have speculated about why my book is entitled, “No More Peanut Butter Sandwiches.” I’ve been amused hearing from so many people who think it’s related to my son’s autism. But the book is really about finding God’s presence, and learning to discern from Him in the midst of our struggles and Read More…
Band of Brothers
Salesmen, engineers, policemen, IT professionals, truck drivers, small business workers, contractors, and factory workers. Blue collar, white collar, or no collar at all. Car by car they drove up the hill to the rustic lodge. Men from different backgrounds, different ethnic heritages, different professions, and different parts of the country- Read More…
No More Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Ask any adult over 30 if they remember where they were on the morning of September 11, 2001, and almost everyone can tell you the answer. As the twin towers of New York City fell in a terrorist attack, I was passing through our den on the way to my home Read More…
Taste and See
I need to make a confession. My given name is Jeff Davidson, but at home, I often go by my aliases. i have a secret identity. I am the Food Whisperer. I also have been known to go by the name The Meds Whisperer. To help teach me Read More…
25 Warnings Signs You’re Becoming A Vacant Dad
I don’t remember the first time I used the phrase “vacant dad.” As I interact daily within the special-needs community though, I am convinced that we have an epidemic of vacant dads. I call it the Vacant Dad Syndrome. What exactly is a “vacant dad?” There are two variations of Read More…
The Heart of the Special-Needs Dad
By all the usual measures, I was winning the game. Some would say I was even running up the score. A man usually defines himself by where he is in his career, his earnings level, and how he compares his life to others. It’s how men are taught to keep score. Read More…
Superman Turns 17
“Good night Superman.” Last night, like I have every night since I can remember, I uttered those words to my son as we tucked him into bed. When I have finished praying over him for the night, I pull him up out of his bedroom swing, and I hug him. Then Read More…
Cheated?
“Don’t you feel cheated about the life you imagined you and your son would have? Don’t you feel like you have been robbed of so many blessings by having a child who can’t talk, can’t walk, and can’t really do any of the things a typical child can do?” “Don’t you Read More…