Mr. Payne taught me junior high school history. Like most junior high students, I don’t remember much about learning history, but I do remember learning something about life I will never forget. Mr. Payne was incredibly consistent. Every day, five minutes before class ended, he would say “Alright people, if the creek don’t rise and […]
Category: Family Life/Caregivers
The Gift That Keeps on Giving—The Caregiver’s Notebook
An Interview with Jolene Philo
I ran out of ink printing the new-patient forms for my son’s doctor appointment. I’m not kidding. Thirty-five pages and two hours later, I stacked the forms on top of two five-inch education binders already filled with hundreds of pages of medical, therapy, and specialists’ evaluations. I also had two CDs containing a sleep study […]
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Mr. America of the Second Grade
A few years back, my son Austin came home from the first day of second grade with a sparkle in his eye. Before I could ask how his day had been, words about his new friend began to tumble out. Mind you, my son has never had a hard time making friends, but this one […]
Where to Find That Peaceable Place
It was supposed to be the typical Sunday afternoon lunch with friends—kids on one end of the restaurant table, adults on the other. Except, it wasn’t. What is it about Sunday mornings? It’s like all of our good intentions get sucked into a vortex of chaos, anger, and tardiness. Sunday mornings support the quip, “Confession […]
Revealing Reflections about Releasing Control
Back-to-school time! I’m guessing some parents (including me) are delighted, and most kids are disappointed. Kids tend to ask lots of questions before school begins: “Will I be riding the bus?” “Who is my teacher?” “Do I wear regular clothes or a uniform?” “Are the kids nice?” But kids don’t ask questions just about school. […]
7 Staples: Soul Food for Stressful Seasons
Strained, stressed, and sweaty, I was standing on the August-hot sidewalk, trying to maintain a cell connection with the doctor. The call had already dropped twice . . . this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The events of that summer were not what we’d expected! Expectations vs. Reality Sometimes our expectations and […]
Words
Sorting through a stack of stuff, I tried to pull a note from the bottom. When I did, the pile came apart. Short on time and shorter on patience, I attempted to bundle it all up until . . . until the photographs slipped out from an old scrapbook binder buried in the stack. Suddenly, I was 20 years […]
Getting Out the Door
At my house, getting out the door, especially to church, is almost an Olympic event. There are wardrobe crises, tired teenager tensions, sibling struggles—at times it’s more a combat zone than a home. I’ve observed many families with the same struggles. But isn’t it amazing how our attitudes change when we finally clamor into church […]
Three Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me!
Note: The following post is adapted from Bob West’s booklet, “Three Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me!” Everything about life changed for Bob and his family with the birth of his son, diagnosed with disabilities. Your life may be free of disabling conditions, but your faith may be in question due to something that’s […]
3 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me: A Dad’s Story
An Interview with Bob West
In .22 seconds, more than 94,400,000 links to the word parenting came up in my search engine, revealing that we certainly don’t lack for material on the topic of parenting. However, the parenting process is far more complex than a list of links or a load of head knowledge, and parenting is profoundly more complicated […]
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May It Be as You Have Said
They are written in every baby book and shared with close friends. Those never-forgotten first words. In my children’s (unfinished) baby books, I too recorded their first words. Each child’s were distinct and, in reflection, true to their unique personalities. Austin’s first word was mommy. Jon’s first words, after waiting three years for him to […]
The Playground: Five Truths to Remember
The brightly colored church playground equipment stood stable and strong against the backdrop of the setting sun. I had just dropped off my son Jon at “Fun Zone,” our church’s monthly respite program for families with special needs. It’s four enormous hours of fun for the kids—four extraordinary hours of renewal for caregivers. I slowly […]