During the holidays we’re encouraged to show brotherly love to those who need support, like families with special needs kids. But the busyness of the season often makes carrying out our best intentions difficult. When that happens, we feel guilty. Simple Ways to Help But there are simple ways to avoid guilt, complete your holiday to-do list, and help those in need simultaneously. Recently, I...

The holiday season is here. And one aspect of the season – whatever your faith background – is reaching out to the less fortunate with a helping hand. But with all the the seasonal hubbub, how do you get your home ready for the holidays and find time to minister to others? In this post, I’ll share three ways you can help others without losing control of your schedule. Multi-Task The...

Recently, I spoke to a Mothers of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS) group about ten things they can do to help families with critically or chronically ill children. Number ten was coordinating the volunteers who want to provide meals. A Better Way After the program, one of the young moms named Wendy told me about a great website created by a man named ViJay. He conceived the idea when a meal sign-up sheet was...

The best part of marketing  A Different Dream for My Child is meeting new people. Every radio interview is another opportunity to meet someone who’s passionate about passing on news of the book to parents of special needs kids. One of the most passionate of the many people who are passionate about special needs families is Eddie Baiseri. She’s the host of Take Five, a program on KBJS...

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...

Since the release of A Different Dream for My Child, I’ve met some of the most interesting people. One of them is Julio Morales. Natalie’s Story Julio and his wife Ruthy are passionate about special needs kids because their second oldest daughter Natalie was born with a Chromosome 18 Deficiency. You can read more about Natalie, who functions at the level of a three-year-old, in this article...

My new book, A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children, was released on September 1, 2009. While it hasn’t yet made a big splash in the national ocean, it has created a respectable ripple in our local pond. A day or two after Different Dream’s release, a local reporter  stopped by for an interview and to take a few pictures. The...

Who would you call if  your child was seriously injured or diagnosed with a critical illness or chronic condition? Your spouse? Your parents or siblings? Your closest friend? People who are extremely close to your child need to be contacted, but they might not be the best first contacts, especially if they tend to respond emotionally. A good first contact person is someone who meets several of the...