The previous post in this series introduced you to Justin and Victoria Nelson, proud parents of Moriah, age two. In this post, you’ll hear their answers to some questions about how Moriah’s medical saga has impacted them. How Has This Changed You? Justin: I learned to come to God and give him each day. Trust in God and constant reliance on who He is. That’s the only way to survive. Victoria:...

Every now and then, God flabbergasts me with his creative ways of bringing people together. Recently, he used modern cyberspace and an old-fashioned book to connect me with to delightful young parents. Moriah’s Mom and Dad I first learned about Moriah’s mom and dad, Victoria and Justin Nelson, by clicking on a google alert link to www.momentswithmoriah.com. A young mom I didn’t...

In the previous two posts in this series, you learned about Chad Gray, childhood cancer survivor and Rita Gray, his mother and author of TLC for Parents of Seriously Ill Children. TLC is a ten week Bible study for parents. Though it was originally designed as a group study, it can be used individually as well. What’s Inside TLC for Parents of Seriously Ill Children The Bible study begins with...

After sharing Chad’s story in the first post in this series, I knew you’d want to see a picture of this handsome young man. It makes you smile, doesn’t it? Rita’s Advice for Parents When Rita and I talked on the phone a few weeks ago, I asked her to share advice with parents of kids with special needs. Here are her suggestions for staying strong spiritually: Read your Bible...

One of the most gratifying aspects of my work is connecting with parents of kids with special needs and hearing their stories. One of those parents is Rita Gray whose son Chad is a childhood cancer survivor. Chad’s Story Chad was diagnosed with high risk leukemia in September of 1996 when he was four years old. He endured twenty spinal taps and eight different kinds of chemo treatments in three...

Sometimes parents long for a boost to keep them focused and positive about the challenges that accompany caring for a child with special needs. Meet Steve Siler Steve Siler is the parent of a son with special needs and a musician with the heart to help people as they navigate their way through difficult times. He created his ministry to encourage people engaged in a variety of life struggles including...

In the last DifferentDream.com post, you learned about Balanced Living All Year, Joan Celebi’s new book for parents of kids with special needs. In this post, you’ll hear about her favorite new IEP resources. IEP Phone App One of Joan’s picks is the IEP Phone App available at no charge, compliments of the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC). You can download the app...

How can the parent of a child with special needs live a balanced life? In Balanced Living All Year, Joan Celebi shares the strategies that help her accomplish the feat. Meet Joan Celebi Joan is the mother of two children, one of whom has special needs. She’s also the creator of www.specialneedsparentcoach.com, a website featured in a DifferentDream.com blog post in December of  2009. Each month,...

Recently, I found a letter written by my father, and it reminded me of something urgent I need to do for my kids, something my Dad couldn’t do for me. EParent.com The whole story is posted at my EParent.com blog. If you read it and decide you need to do the same thing for your kids, come back here and leave a comment. Or if you think of another legacy parents should leave for their children,...

As promised in the first post in this series, here’s Jennifer Schultz to tell you why she created her food preparation system, Freezer Meals in Minutes. It Reduces Stress Freezer Meals in Minutes is a service that helps the stressed woman organize a freezer meals session.  Why would a stressed woman organize more activities you may ask?  Because it will reduce stress and save time and money...