Family

My Peace I Leave With You

My Peace I Leave With You

“My peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

John 14:27

Of all the verses of scripture, this is my favorite.

It centers me.

It pulls me forward reminding me I can do hard things.

Who doesn’t want peace? Who doesn’t need peace?

I grew up as the oldest in a very large family- 11 kids. While we ourselves weren’t a very loud family, with all those people it could get loud and chaotic. I was a teenager when I found this verse and it brought me great comfort.

A hand reaching toward the light
Image by Jackson David from Pixabay

As I have grabbed hold of my courage and pushed my way through the hard things, this verse has sustained me. As I have dealt with the things that make you fall to your knees in helpless surrender this verse has held me.

What Going Back To Work Has Taught Me

What Going Back To Work Has Taught Me

“It has been good for me to relearn my shortcomings and learn to let things go. It’s been good for my family to learn the world (or Mom) doesn’t revolve around them all the time. Reaching for my dreams has sparked a fire in me that makes me happy. “
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Holding a Job and Being a Parent of Special Needs Child is Often Incompatible

Holding a Job and Being a Parent of Special Needs Child is Often Incompatible

“The first story I’ll tell you is that of a single mom. She recently discovered that her daughter had serious medical issues. All of her sick leave and vacation now go to time off for medical appointments. She has enough for this year, but next year, she will likely burn through that quickly. Vacations will now be a thing of the past while she desperately tries to balance working, being a mom, and the care of her sick child. She is lucky. She has worked with the company she works for, for over a year and therefore is eligible for the government program of FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act). This act protects her job and ensures she gets time off- though unpaid, to care for her child.”
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Being Held Emotionally Hostage

“I was recently talking with another mom who has a child with mental health issues. While talking she used the term “emotionally held hostage.” Those three words struck a cord with me because so often in the special needs, disability, and mental health worlds it can feel like we are being held hostage. By our children, spouses, parents, and even ourselves through our own illnesses.”
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Oldest Children Rule The World!

Oldest Children Rule The World!

“We get told we’re bossy, mean, and are butting our heads in where they don’t belong. But we’ve always been asked and expected to since we were very young. We were trained to do this.”
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Summer-time and the Living Is Easy

Summer-time and the Living Is Easy

“I grew up in a very small town that boasted between 800-900 people during the time I lived there. Summers were hot. I can still hear, and feel my feet slapping against the hot pavement as I ran. I would never wear socks or shoes if I could help it. They were too hot and confining.”
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Love Doesn’t End With Death

Love Doesn’t End With Death

“He may have been old and sometimes cantankerous when I knew him but these memories coming to mind, reminded me of the deep love he had for his family and how he was always there whenever we needed him.”
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A Different Way of Celebrating A Birthday

A Different Way of Celebrating A Birthday

“Take your child’s great loves and interests, turn them into a day they will never forget. Birthdays don’t have to be expensive and huge. They should be about making memories and celebrating the life of that special person.”
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Writing When I don’t Want To Write

Writing When I don’t Want To Write

“Here I present a post about what happens when I don’t want to write and ramble on forever. It’s from a couple of years ago. But this is the perfect example of what goes on in my head.”
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