How many times have you been forced something to happen in your own strength? This past Sunday, as the Pastor touched on the Lord’s Prayer. He described a story of a little boy who wanted to help his Daddy move a desk across the room. The father began pushing and the little boy braced his shoulder against the desk, and told his father, “Move Dad, you’re in the way.” Daddy of course chuckled and obliged his son’s request.The four year old little boy, pushed with all his might, but the desk would not move. Have you been there? Maybe you’re a …
Facing our Fears
What’s a mom to do when her child who never minded being passed around a room of eager relatives freaks out at the sound of a flushing toilet? Are childhood anxieties real? The day my four year old screamed from the back of our mini-van in the Hobby Lobby parking lot, I hoped everyone around me believed childhood worries are real. Fears are not because of anything moms do wrong; childhood fears are part of being a child. Instead of finding the quickest way to squelch a panic, a wise mom knows fears are not only normal, they are the …
Help!
Do you have a nagging feeling that your child’s development is not quite right? Does your doctor see areas of concern? You may know you want help, but have no idea where to turn. Today my goal is to give you some information to help you get started! The very first place to begin is with Child Find, www.childfindidea.org. This website will help you obtain the contact information for your specific state. By law, each state is required to locate and evaluate every child between birth and age 21 who may need special education or early intervention services. This evaluation …
Expecting Stretch Marks
During the 40 weeks of pregnancy, a woman’s body does things she never imagined it could do. It begs for us to use the word “miracle” to describe the whole, amazing process. When our skin stretches more than it’s happy to, reddish or purplish marks develop that remind me of childhood poison ivy moments, minus the scratching. Primarily due to heredity, stretch marks may appear on your stomach, chest, or behind, anywhere the body is doing the miraculous work of growing to accommodate carrying and bearing new life. They appear gradually, so you may not even notice them at first …
Uninvited Diagnosis
She was tiny, frail and unable to meet any of her developmental milestones. I knew her biological mom had used every drug imaginable during her pregnancy. Nevertheless, the neurologist’s diagnosis cut through me. Our adopted daughter would struggle through life with brain damage. Two years later, another uninvited diagnosis forced its way into my world. It came from a high-risk pregnancy doctor that rushed into the room after a longer than normal ultrasound. He dug the ultrasound wand into my swollen belly while still chewing his half eaten lunch, “Absent bladder…hernia…heart on the wrong side. Most likely Trisomy 18. The …
40 Weeks of Growing Trust
The test stick turns pink, and suddenly your whole world changes. Within days you may start to feel your body change, and new thoughts cross your mind that you never considered before. How will life change professionally, intimately, financially, and physically? With the passing of each day on the calendar, you may feel like time is running out to get a firm hold on the coming addition to your family and the changes to your world. Forty weeks will pass faster than you think, and the urge to be in control may grow right along with the size of your …
How to Mother When You Long for More
Sun filtered through the blinds as I blinked my eyes open. A new day loomed before me. Another day I knew I was not pregnant and I likely would never be again. My empty womb seemed to mock me and though it was empty it felt heavy with despair and longing. My soul felt heavy too. Burdened with a longing that would not be met, saddled with questions of why, and the pain of apparent injustice. As I shook my head to clear it, voices began to call to me from down the hall. Although I desperately wanted to stay …
Rest
And on the seventh day God rested. Hebrews 4:4 My mother passed away ten minutes before Easter, April 11, 2009. To say I was close to my mother is an understatement. We spoke on the phone daily. She taught my son Latin; I took her to Disney World. Even during my tumultuous teen years, Mom and I were tight. I was there at her side with my stepdad Easter eve. We had to tell the EMTs to stop the CPR and let her accept heaven’s beckon. Life hiccupped but kept moving. My daily tears ceased after about a week, and …