Yesterday’s sermon was on Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. The pastor pointed out something I hadn’t really considered before…Jesus was alone. He was alone in the wilderness for 40 days. Yes, he was without food and hungry. But the point was that he was infinitely more susceptible to temptation because he was ALONE.

With that thought, my mind began wandering to parents of special needs children. We are so often alone, or think we are. Alone in the wilderness. No one else is dealing with the same issues as we are, no one else understands.... more

While I’m thinking theologically... I just have to mention that in the Christmas Story (the real one, not Rudoph or the Grinch), there is much to contemplate not only about love, but about the various facets of parenting, adoption, unplanned pregnancies and more. I’m offering no opinions here, only observations.

I find it highly fascinating that the Christmas story contains many elements that we in modern times attribute to our own societal “issues”. I don’t think this is an accident. Let me explain…

First off, Mary was an unwed pregnant... more

(Warning – tons of religious content to this blog – read at your own discretion!) At our house, Christmas is celebrated for religious reasons. And like Naomi on the Jewish Adoption Blog, I often cringe at the commercialization of it all. Now that Christmas decorations and sales in stores start well before Thanksgiving (heck…the Christmas decorations were next to the Halloween candy in October), it all seems so shallow and the message can definitely get lost.

But... more

I decided I needed to add a category to tag all my posts that center around God, our faith beliefs and our church experiences. I've been blogging on these topics all along, but decided it was good to group them together for two reasons. First because for us personally, our spiritual journey and the growth we've experienced BECAUSE of parenting our special needs child is SIGNIFICANT. And second, because I'm aware that many of you do not share the same spiritual and religious beliefs as I do. (So this new category will be one to skip, if you're so inclined.)

So, all the new and existing posts that make mention of our faith beliefs, our church activities or church and special needs... more

The mother of a child with a “hidden disability” (the kind that you can’t see by looking – emotional, psychological, developmental delays) expressed sadness that she can’t take her child to church because the congregation doesn't understand the child’s behaviors. Her child can’t go to Sunday School because she doesn’t function on grade level academically with the other children and has some less-than-acceptable behaviors. And there's just no place for her at church.

Several other moms emailed to support this mom and relate similar heart-breaking stories.... more

Attending worship service, regardless of the type of service, often presents numerous obstacles to parents of special needs children. Yet, as any person of faith will tell you, attending worship services is a much-needed thing. So, what’s a struggling parent to do?

Terri Mauro over on About Parenting Special Needs explores the idea of attending church with your special needs child. We have struggled for years with taking LuLu to church. We have an awesome church family who welcome her with open arms,... more

Author’s Note: No, you’re not reading the Christian Adoption Blog. But the role of prayer in our lives as we parent our special needs child can’t be denied. I recognize that adoptive parents of special needs have a variety of beliefs. But I also know from talking to parents of children with special challenges that many have deeply rooted faith walks. And since this is my blog about life with LuLu, I’d be sadly remiss if I didn’t talk about the importance of prayer to us.

Scene One: I got an email today from a woman who... more

One thing I’m learning for sure is that you can’t appreciate true happiness and joy as deeply if you haven’t experienced great sorrow and loss. And that sorrow and pain cloud has been hanging over our heads just like a nasty court case. (Ok, a nasty court case is hanging over our heads!) So, when nuggets of joy come our way these days, they are especially precious.

A couple of weekends ago, we joined others from the small town of our church (which has long since been swallowed by suburbia, but remains as a distinct town anyway), for their... more

We had a guest preacher at church on Sunday. He spoke on rejoicing...always. He cited Phillipians 4:4-7 as his text, which in addition to saying we are to rejoice always says "Do not be anxious about anything..." Hmmm...that sounds a bit like a direct order from God, perhaps THE direct order I needed to hear this week.

I'll admit it - I have a hard time not being anxious. Gee, wonder what I have to be anxious about? But I, of all people, should know just how futile (and damaging) anxiousness is. I live with the queen of anxiety. Between... more

Yesterday I told you about the sermon I heard on the word NOW. And I promised you a list of the things I appreciate in the NOW. So here goes:

1. I appreciate that my dear hubby gets up every day (at the crack of dawn) and trods out the door to work. He travels extensively and while I know it's so hard on him to send night after night on the road, he never complains, unless it's to complain that he's not here for us. Meanwhile, I just keep spending the money on therapies, legal fees and other such things.

2. I appreciate that on Wednesday LuLu played for over... more