Having Fun Trying

Nate and Anna at Frozen

We took our 24-year-old daughter to see Frozen, the musical. Honestly, we were hesitant to spend the money on the tickets. We just never know what she will enjoy. If you ask her in advance, she often says “no” to offers to do something fun. Her emotional cues can be flat and hard to read.…

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One Day at a Time

present tag with red and white string placed on white background

Oh, 2022, where have you gone? It’s December, and I can feel the year fading fast. I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect and update. I have been on an unintended/unplanned sabbatical of sorts. I write on this site to encourage special needs parents and caregivers, yet this year I had to take…

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Devotions of the Distracted Heart

Eyechart

Peg Arnold is a dear friend who heads up the vibrant ministry, Wonder of Women. Peg graciously invited me to contribute a blog for her devotional series, Distractions of the Heart. The following was posted on pegarnold.org, but I also wanted to share it with my readers. I enjoyed writing it, and it comes with a…

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Afraid? Go Anyway!

Lynnette Simm and Kim Cusimano

As a special needs family, we are blessed to have friends and extended family who come alongside us and have the courage to be ALL IN when it comes to walking through difficult times with us. About a year or so ago, our special needs daughter was going through a tough time. We were trying…

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Picture Perfect

Anna Picture Perfect Blog Image

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and I’m basking in the glow of having had our family together around the table. Like many, we missed getting to celebrate with our extended families. 2020 brought a more intimate gathering of “just us.” My husband and I sat with only our four, nearly all grown children. We laughed…

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Keep It Simple

Keep it simple! Are you new to homeschooling due to all the changes going on in our world? If so, I’m here to repeat my mantra, “Keep it simple!” Many years ago, I homeschooled our two special-needs children for some time during their early elementary years. I tried many of the things I had heard…

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4 Ways to Help Kids Process a Crisis

Caris Snider Photo

Quarantine. Shelter in place. Social Distancing. School ending. These are things our children have never encountered and maybe you have found you and your young ones are struggling. How do we process a pandemic? How do we respond? What can we do to keep fear and panic from filling our children and our homes? Here…

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Full Joy

These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. John 15:11 “Joy”, what a beautiful word! What is there not to love about joy? And the idea that joy can be “full”, is surely the best kind. John 15:11 stood out…

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