When we adopted Evangeline from Ukraine in 2009, she hunched. She cowered. She chose to spend her time hidden in little pockets of the house, behind the sofa, under the comforter on her bed. How would I bring her out of her shell? How would I get her to not only make eye contact with me, but to trust me and let love in after two and a half years of a myriad of caregivers,
When people say the word “retard”, honestly, I don’t always want to speak up. For example, when a close friend or family member says “retard” or “retarded” I know for sure they aren’t using it in a derogatory way. They aren’t thinking of my two daughters with Down syndrome. I know they love my kids. They have simply gotten in the habit of using slang. They probably don’t even realize what it means and I
I’m afraid of going on vacation with my kids who have special needs … But we are doing it anyway. In a couple of weeks, we are taking the kids to Maryland for their spring break from school. I’m afraid. It is a 14 hour drive. Four kids, one old, plain Dodge Caravan that is starting to fall apart, and two parents who no doubt will be white knuckling it the whole trip. A friend
(This post first appeared on Dancing With The One You Love in February of 2012. It still resonates today.) On being ‘liked’ My morning routine usually goes one of two ways. Up at six, four kids out the door to school by seven forty-five a.m., a cup of coffee in hand, a Bible opened in my lap, and a few quiet moments of reading and talking to God. Or, if I’m honest, my morning goes