Way back in April, I posted a blog series about Kurt and Joy Owens and their ministry, Snuggles for Sam. The ministry is in memory of their baby boy, Sam, who died of a serious heart condition in early 2010. I keep up with their family and their ministry by subscribing to their Caring Bridge page. My Africa Last spring was a season of deep grief for Joy. Many of us ached and prayed for her as she...

If Evan Newport’s name rings a bell for you, maybe it’s because part of his story was told in A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children. Or maybe it’s because you read about his death in November of 2009, when he gave up his seven year battle caused by Noonan’s Syndrome. Or maybe you watched the incredible video, All Around...

Thanks to Victoria Miller, who sent me a message through Facebook, I have new friend. Victoria is the founder of the Trisomy 18 Foundation, which provides support for families of children who are diagnosed with Trisomy 18. She emailed to say she discovered my book, A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children, on Facebook and has been giving it...

The first post in this series introduced you to Deborah Arrona, her husband Salvador, and their daughter Aria. If you haven’t read Part 1 of the series, the background information it provides will help this post make more sense. Salvador and Deborah were only 20 when their premature baby arrived, and they’re only 26 now. But they have valuable wisdom to share. While everything can’t...

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Meeting parents of kids with special needs and hearing their stories is the best part of what I do. Recently, I met Deborah Arrona via the Coffee Klatch, a Twitter community for parents of kids with a wide variety of special needs. Later, she agreed to be interviewed, and her testimony of life with a child who has significant special needs impressed...

Having a child with special needs can be hard on a marriage. Many marriages break under the strain of caring for a child with special needs and lost dreams. Encouragement from Music for the Soul This month, Steve Siler is sharing his new song When the Vow Breaks with parents dealing with divorce. In it, he offers hope and acceptance to people who are disappointed in the direction their lives have...

Today’s post will be the last in the interview series with Greg Lucas. (Click on these links to read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four, if you haven’t already.) Today, Greg gets very transparent and shared some advice he wishes he’d followed much sooner than he did. See what you think about what he has to say. Greg Lucas Interview, Part Five Turn to God The most important...

Welcome back for Part 4 of the interview with Greg Lucas, who blogs about living with Jake, his son who has special needs. If you haven’t read Part 1, Part 2 or Part 3 of this interview, you may want to go back and do so before diving in here. And be sure to visit Greg’s blog, Wrestling with an Angel, when you have the chance. Greg Lucas Interview, Part Four In this post, Greg shares his...

This post is the third in a series where Greg Lucas is answering questions about life with his son Jake. If you haven’t read Part One or Part Two, you might want to do that before going any further. In this post, Greg tells us where he and his wife, Kim, have found their greatest support. Greg Lucas Interview, Part Three Our greatest support in raising Jake has been God and His amazing grace....

In the first post of this series, you met Greg Lucas, who blogs at Wrestling with an Angel, and his family. Greg shared some of the story of how their son, Jake, changed their lives and brought them to a crisis point. In this post, Greg tells what happened when God sent a storm into their lives, one they couldn’t handle and describes what life with Jake is like today. Greg Lucas Interview, Part...