LUKE 2:16-20 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising …

You win some, you lose some. It’s a cliché for a reason. Sports, dating (which is kind of like a sport), cooking (at least for me), and any social event where you have to put yourself “out there” earns this phrase. I get that. I can handle it…when it comes to me. But when it comes to Charlie, anxiety has me tightening my laces when he has to “perform.” Take our most recent neurology appointment …

  ELMER by David McKee Perhaps my favorite book of all time, mostly because of the 1970s psychedelic illustrations. Elmer is an elephant who boasts a patchwork of colors. He’s good at making the other elephants laugh, but he’s tired of being different so he paints himself “elephant” colored. But when he returns to the herd he notices that everyone looks sad, so in true Elmer fashion, he shakes them up to make them laugh …

I was not planning on writing a post today, but I feel the need to send some love and prayers to Germany. Yesterday, a truck crashed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least 12 and injuring over 50. As I write, authorities suspect that it was deliberate, but nothing has been confirmed. According to The Guardian, witnesses say it was not an accident. Regardless of intent, people died and others will be spending their …

Chevy Chase could explain it better than me. He’s in the attic in a turban watching footage of Christmases gone by. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” anyone? Watch his face during that scene. Tears and grimaces. Christmas is a mixed bag for most of us. It carries the weight and joy of the birth of Jesus along with the memories of however many Christmases have passed. Little kid Christmases usually rock. You remember leaving cookies for …

JOHN 9:1-3 “1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3 ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’”   Sheesh. If I could tell you how many times people have responded to our mishaps and losses …

So yesterday I was all set to make adorable cookies for Charlie’s teachers and therapists. I had the house TO MYSELF, which never happens and the list was long for the things I needed to do. Cookies were first up to bat. I had bought plaid bags at Target and I candles from Bath & Body Works with scents like marshmallow fluff and caramel latte to induce hunger and relaxation over the holiday. This is …

I have mixed feelings. I usually do. But when you put a show on primetime television about a kid with cerebral palsy, it better have the right message. The premise of the show is simple: JJ DiMeo has CP and his family moves to a new town so that he can attend a school which will provide a speaker’s aide. The family is quirky and has the feel of “The Middle” and it’s a sitcom, …

About a month ago, my students were wrapping up Ray Bradbury’s classic dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451. To stir up trouble, I gave out this article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr from The Atlantic. It’s all about how our attention spans are shortening, at first by imperceptible, and now very perceptible degrees with the prominence of search engines and Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, etc. It’s a cool article that opens and closes with Hal, the computer …

Some of my favorite Special Needs sites: Love that Max …this one’s my favorite! Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid …this is hilarious The CP Diary …written by a woman with Cerebral Palsy MOM – Not Otherwise Specified Support for Special Needs Hopeful Parents Autism Wonderland United Cerebral Palsy Foundation   Some of my favorite Infertility sites: Stirrup Queens A Little Pregnant Parenthood for Me Path to Fertility …wisdom & facts from a fertility clinic …