I have been fighting the demons for a long time…and I’m not speaking of my children. Deep inside of me I know, even when no one else does. They are all the things that I am afraid of; they are what I might have been; and they are the things I mustn’t ever tell. OnContinue reading “Curtain Call”
Tag Archives: autism
Strip Me Bare
Last year, they were probably heard screaming through to the second floor of the clinic, and there were fights…battles…battles that they did not win. No one did. A friend shared a link on social media yesterday, and I read every word, as often I do when this particular friend posts things. If she finds somethingContinue reading “Strip Me Bare”
Let Me Be Your Lesson
“Everything is either a blessing or a lesson.” Who was it that said that, anyway? Maybe, some things can be both of those at the same time. Perched on top of the hill at the edge of my grandparents’ property, my brother, my sister, and I spent strings of days looking out onto the St.Continue reading “Let Me Be Your Lesson”
The Long Winter
On most nights before the boys go to sleep, we have been reading the Little House books for close to a year now. I love the stories of honesty and simplicity, of struggle and triumph, of bravery and tenacity. Here at the farm, we love tapping our maple trees, picking dandelions and Queen Anne’s laceContinue reading “The Long Winter”
Snow on the Corn and Other Things that Just Don’t Seem Right
I guess you only get so many chances, at least in this life. Nancy, my favorite chicken, went quietly in the early morning cold of All Soul’s Day. She had never really been the same since she had survived the raccoon attack last winter, though she tried her best to keep up with the othersContinue reading “Snow on the Corn and Other Things that Just Don’t Seem Right”
Still Brave: A Birthday Tribute
It’s the eve of your twelfth birthday. The picture in my head may have been a bit different from what I was expecting, but I should have known a long time ago to stop expecting, because there just doesn’t seem to be much sense in that. I wish you hadn’t told me that you wereContinue reading “Still Brave: A Birthday Tribute”
Where We Are: My Medical Cannabis for Autism Update
“I had a great time. Can’t wait until next week.” Well, that was a relief, because the faces he made during the hour-and-fifteen-minute basketball clinic had me believing otherwise. We have come a long way, but we have so far yet to go. Four years ago on this day, I stepped out of character andContinue reading “Where We Are: My Medical Cannabis for Autism Update”
Eight Days
“Is my suit ready for tomorrow?” There was a sense of urgency tainted with a little hesitation that accompanied my son’s question. It was late. I wasn’t planning to do any more laundry. He had been thinking this through in his head, rehearsing how the mornings would unfold, likely since the day he learned ofContinue reading “Eight Days”
Open My Eyes; Take Me To My People
It sure is cold outside. She was as sweet a baby as ever I have known, and I was so happy that she was mine. But actually, she wasn’t mine. The first time I took her to the social services office to visit with her mom, I had dressed her in my daughter’s outfit, theContinue reading “Open My Eyes; Take Me To My People”
Ode to My Child’s Teacher
You have been my child’s teacher, and I am grateful. For a span of nearly twenty-five years, children of mine have had the privilege of being taught, nurtured, cared for, and loved by so many extraordinary teachers, men and women who have helped to form these young beings into who they are. My nearly grownContinue reading “Ode to My Child’s Teacher”
