May 23, 2013 Posted by Jolene

How Can 31 Years Ago Seem Just Like Yesterday?

Thirty-one years ago today, our first child was born at 12:35 AM on a Sunday morning. Like all mothers, I remember the details of that day at Lookout Memorial Hospital in Spearfish, South Dakota with perfect clarity. But my memories are different than those of many other new parents. The joy of the memory of our son’s arrival is tinged with... read more

Apr 25, 2013 Posted by Jolene

The Place Where Grief and Joy Meet

When our first grandson was born six months ago, I expected joy, and it was there. I expected to love him at first sight, and I did. I expected to cry tears of happiness, and they came. Every emotion was expected, save one. I never expected to grieve. Even so, grief found me. How Could I Have Known? How could I have known grief would punch me in the... read more

Apr 4, 2013 Posted by Jolene

Special Needs Advocacy, Grief, and Faith

Advocacy, grief, and faith are topics parents of kids with special needs grapple with every day. Recently, Gloria Perez-Stewart of  GPS Advocacy and I talked about those topics, and more, for her BlogTalk Radio series. (Many other special needs interviews on a wide variety of topics are housed at the GPS Advocacy site.) Meet Gloria... read more

Jan 31, 2013 Posted by Jolene

An EA/TEF Top Ten List: 30 Years Later

EA/TEF Awareness Month 2013 ends today. Thirty years ago, our baby boy, born with EA/TEF was about eight months old, slowly gaining ground in his fight to stay alive. In yesterday’s post Christine Lester highlighted ten characteristics of parents caring for young kids with EA/TEF, and they accurately described life with our son way back when.... read more

Dec 18, 2012 Posted by Jolene

4 Christmas Survival Tips After the Loss of a Child

Christmas survival is something many parents joke about. But for parents who have lost children, surviving Christmas without a loved one is no joke. It’s the difficult reality they face each year as the celebration of the birth of God’s Son rolls around. Christmas Survival for Joy Bennett A few days ago, guest blogger Rebekah Benimoff... read more