15 and counting… I haven’t missed one yet, and I don’t plan on stopping. We had our annual IEP meeting this week for our 17-year old son. This was number 15. I’ve been to all of them. I read every word of the draft copy of the IEP prior to the meeting. I 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…
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…
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…
The Parable of the Two Dads
Once upon a time, two dads of children with special needs were walking down the road together. Both of them were raising children who had been diagnosed just a few years ago. Neither one said very much at first, as they walked along in silence. Both were, in effect, still reeling, still Read More…
One More Night With The Frogs
photo credit museum.wa.gov.au The rhythmic croaking was strangely melodious. I would mentally filter out all the other background noise that flowed out of the woods adjacent to our house. The birds, the crickets, all the other sounds would fade away until I could only hear the frogs. They croaked in a harmonious Read More…
A Letter to the Dad in the Red Cap
If you haven’t seen the video of the father dancing with his wheelchair bound daughter at a pageant, you have to watch this clip here. Dear dad in the red ball cap, I just watched a video of you dancing with your daughter with special needs at a pageant. She Read More…
Help Wanted
Next week another Father’s Day arrives. This will be my 16th as the father of a son with special needs. I was thinking today about all the new dads of children with special needs who will be celebrating their very first Father’s Day this year, and the ones who just received a diagnosis Read More…