Recently, a friend sent me a URL and a very short email. “Check this one out,” it said. “PLEASE WATCH: R. C. Sproul, Chuck Colson, & Joni Eareckson Tada talk about families & disabilities.” What Could R.C. Sproul, Chuck Colson, & Joni Eareckson Tada Have in Common? Since I wondered what those three people have in common, I clicked on the URL and began watching a...

A few days ago, I posted an article about www.SpecialNeedsBridge.com, the informational website developed by Julio and Ruthey Morales. At their website, I noticed the Nathaniel’s Hope/Buddy Break graphics sprinkled here and there. Curious, I dug around and learned about this wonderful organization. Buddy Break Buddy Break is a free respite service for parents of special needs kids. Nathaniel’s...

Every now and then I update the progress of families profiled in A Different Dream for My Child, to give you an idea of what life is like for them on an ongoing basis. A week or so ago Scott, the father of seven-year-old Evan sent this link to a recent article about his son. Noonan’s Syndrome Evan has Noonan’s syndrome, a heart condition which typically includes a thickening of the heart...

A few weeks ago Lisa Copen, founder of Rest Ministries, a website for chronically ill adults, asked me to participate in her Invisible Illness Week Web Seminar. She wanted me to encourage chronically ill parents who have special needs kids. I felt a little funny addressing those parents since I don’t have a chronic illness. But since my dad was chronically ill, and my son had special needs,...

A few weeks ago Claire Shackelford, one of the women who’s part of www.ChristianMilitaryWives.com, interviewed me about A Different Dream for My Child. While we talked, I thought about the double whammy military wives with special needs children deal with every day. My only desire was to encourage the moms as they care for their kids. But as Claire listened to our son’s story, she recognized...

In the two previous posts in this series, I shared six commonalities observed in parents who live triumphantly with special needs kids. Today the last three ways will be discussed. As was mentioned before, don’t try to implement all of them at once. Select one, work on it until it is firmly in place, then choose another. #7 Triumphant parents get away now and then. Getting away takes forethought,...

Life as a parent is wearing. Life as the parent of of a special needs child is especially wearing. The specter of life as a perpetual care give and decision-maker can be overwhelming. But the parents I interviewed for A Different Dream for My Child lived joyfully despite their circumstances. Many parents of special needs students I worked during my teaching career. Over the next three days, I’ll...