It all started according to plan. I graduated from college, married my dream man, and got my first teaching job. As a young woman of faith, I trusted God’s plans would always be for my good.  Although I didn’t know it many years ago, good wouldn’t always mean easy.

A few years into our marriage, we struggled with infertility. It challenged us and taught us new faith lessons. God’s plans unfolded to include us building our family through adoption.

And having special needs children? No, that was not on our original bingo card alongside world travel. Yet again, God increased our reliance on him and introduced new faith lessons.

Raising four children, two with special needs, and one of the needs being mental illness, has been the hardest, most beautiful thing I have ever done. Learning to navigate mental illness in a loved one is a significant part of my story. I’m a wife, a mom, a special needs mom, and a mom to a beloved child with schizophrenia.

My days include caregiving and can look different from those of my peers with fresh empty nests. However, I have also found a greater sense of freedom. It just looks different. I choose to live joyfully and intentionally in a relationship with caregiving and caring for a child with mental illness.

Whether I’m painting, making art to share, writing, or inviting ladies into my home, I want to encourage those around me to embrace their God-given responsibilities with intention and joy.