What to Expect When You Weren’t Expecting
I come from a family of book lovers. Finding a cozy spot in some quiet corner of the house and curling up with a great book is a treat for the Swindolls. Shortly before my first child was born, the book titled What to Expect When You’re Expecting was published. It is in a stack […]
Seventeen Years Ago
My son, Jon, turns 19 years old this month. Seventeen years ago, I sat in a doctor’s office and listened to a kindhearted, brilliant man tell me my son had autism—an umbrella term with five major categories beneath it. All the while, Jon’s hand-flapping and toe-walking . . . and silence . . . and emotional distance . . . and . . . the doctor’s words kind of melted together.
A Weekly Gift for You
I often forget to take care of myself as I care for my autistic son, Jonathan. My family often reminds me to tend to my own needs as well. Finding time for yourself seems selfish, but it really isn’t. Caring for my needs is the best care for Jon. Jesus encouraged His disciples, after a […]
Beach Balls
Swimming is necessary in the more than 100-degree heat of a Texas summer. My son Jon and I headed to the pool. Jon gave me a dollar-store squirt gun for his idea of a fair combat weapon; of course, his was the Target store, Navy SEALs, house-sized weapon that can shoot water to the moon. […]
Defining Differently
Many words are used to describe someone with disabilities. Generally, the word disabled has a negative tone, doesn’t it? Some may say these folks are needy, challenged, unstable or unable, fragile or frail—words laden with a “less than” label that dismisses the person altogether. So now I’m going to admit something humiliating: before I became […]
Free to Be
Mother’s Day 2012. At our annual lunch celebration, I sat with my niece Jessica and my son Jon. Jessica, only a few months younger than Jon, looked absolutely stunning. Full of life and intellectually gifted, she carries a joyful wonder about life that is so delightful. As I watched her, I began to recall the […]
“Dear Ashley”
The letter fell out of my daughter’s photo album; it was a note I had written to her on her first day of junior high school. For most people, junior high conjures up many memories, a milieu of emotionally laden experiences. Powerful choices are made in those early years, and life in junior high can […]
Reflections from a Persevering Teen
This post was authored by a sibling who lives with a brother diagnosed with complex disabilities. Originally, this was a college English essay I was asked to review. The author paints a painfully vivid picture of truth: support for the whole family is often overlooked. For this reason, I hope this post sheds light on […]
Reality at Its Best
I had become a statistic. Again and again, I had heard about the extremely high divorce rate among couples supporting a disabled loved one. And then I joined that “extremely high” category—a divorced mom with children ages 8, 12, and 13. The years as a single parent were difficult. Misunderstanding, judgment, and condemnation had driven […]
What We Need to Help Us through Trials
When you encounter people who are going through a trial, do you find yourself thinking: I really want to help them, but what do they need most? As human beings, we all need the following qualities in our lives to help us through our toughest times. Perhaps pastors and leaders can consider including this list […]
Soul Truth
You won’t believe what happened in a very formal church, several years ago. My son, Jonathan, not quite one year old, had the fantastic gift of throwing up everything he ate. So much so that I thought I would catch a lung at some point. I had moved to Dallas several years before and […]
Porcupineish
I woke up on the wrong side of the bed recently, which is a nice way of saying I was cranky. It hadn’t been a superb week, so perhaps my snappish self emerged from hibernation that morning. By sundown, my attitude had gone from snappish to cantankerous to pretty much porcupineish. Usually, I try to […]