Ya know, some years, ya just don’t quite have it all together 😆 Some years you don’t even think about Halloween until your kid’s bus driver gets off the bus dressed as a Crayola Crayon and you think, “Hm… why is she dressed as a …. Faaacckkkk!!! He was supposed to wear a costume today.” Then, to squash your... Continue Reading →
And Just Like That… Life Begins Again.
I am not a person who holds center well. I experience this life with an, honestly, exhausting level of intensity. At this point, for me, dispassion is an unattainable philosophical concept, far outside my reach. And although I’ve developed the ability to see the highs and lows coming, when I am in the midst of them, they are... Continue Reading →
Peeling the Onion
It has been said that the grieving process is like peeling an onion. As each layer falls away, it gives the gift of deeper understanding and also reveals the next level of processing. The stages don’t go smoothly from 1-5… denial, anger, bargaining, depression and then acceptance. They are interwoven and revisit you many times even after... Continue Reading →
Please Stop Telling Special Needs Parents that “God only gives us what we can handle.”
Receiving this unwelcome comment seems to be unequivocally loathed among many special needs (SN) parents. Most people are well intentioned and share a genuine desire to offer support to others going through hard times. But the statement “God will never give you more than you can handle” is one that comes up frequently in the SN community... Continue Reading →
Happy Birthday Niccolo!!
Being the little brother of a special needs sibling has it's perks and some downsides too. On one hand, there's tons of super cool equipment to climb on, swings bolted to the ceiling of the living room, a therapy center that seems to be your own personal playground and PLENTY of trips to the doctors... Continue Reading →
Coming Home
It’s our first day home from the hospital and while I do feel great relief, there is also a weight of sadness plaguing my heart. I know this feeling. I recognize it because I’ve experienced it many times before. It is the resurfacing of grief. The unique thing about having a child with a brain... Continue Reading →
Armpits and Toothpaste
The early hours of this morning felt like something right out of a twisted psychological thriller. Oliver’s schedule is pretty off and he was still wide awake at midnight. I lied down in the parent chair next to his bed, put on the tv and tried to rest, hoping he would fall asleep too. We both started to... Continue Reading →
Simple Joys
Hot showers have always been one of my most favorite things in the whole world. When I’m tired, sick, stressed, worried, sleepy or wound up… a hot shower is always the cure to my ails. I love the calming caress of the water as it falls over my shoulders, melting away the tension and easing my worried... Continue Reading →
1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back
If, five years ago, someone would have told me that I would soon be a person who not only used a calendar, but absolutely depended on one to keep an insanely packed schedule of appointments straight, I would’ve laughed out loud. Calendars were never my style. I was way too carefree and laissez faire for... Continue Reading →
Napa … One of The Greatest Places on Earth
Ahhh Napa … I love the long drive leading to this enchanted destination, where smiling faces and warm greetings meet you at the door. It’s a place where the burdens of life melt away and suddenly the day seems full of lightness, hope and absolute possibility. At Napa, positivity flows freely, quenching the thirst of all... Continue Reading →