There are seasons in life when everything feels uncertain—when decisions carry weight and the future feels like a question mark. And then there are seasons when, somehow, everything begins to fall into place in a way that feels too intentional to be coincidence. Since making the decision last August to move to Colorado for Skyler—to…
Last weekend I had the honor of delivering the keynote at the Rising Moms Caregiver Retreat and I left that room feeling incredibly inspired. When you gather a room full of caregiving moms together, you quickly realize something powerful: these are women who carry more than most people ever see. The sleepless nights, the appointments,…
There’s a phrase people use so casually when raising children: “You have to let go.” But when your child is an adult with profound autism—nonverbal, vulnerable, and dependent in ways the world doesn’t fully understand—letting go doesn’t feel casual. It feels terrifying. We moved to Colorado intentionally, guided by the promise of robust adult services,…
While I don’t envision that God is in heaven playing a random game of Duck, Duck, Goose as His way of selecting how children and their future parents will be matched, I do believe God perfectly places people, specifically children, into our lives quite purposefully. Maybe I was specifically chosen for my parents as a…
I welcome every opportunity I’m given to share our family’s autism journey and speak about all of ways in which Skyler amazes me. However, this past weekend, speaking at the autism conference felt significantly more important than any other talks I’ve given. My emotionally charged words and examples of Skyler’s courage and resilience were directed…
I’ve envisioned this moment many times over the years. What it would feel like to experience the high school graduation of my youngest child, Kendall, having not had the opportunity to enjoy this same moment with her older brother, Skyler two years earlier. Would I be overly emotional at the ceremony? Proud and elated for…
It takes a lot to fire me up and anger me to the point I lose sleep over a nasty remark or unsolicited comment about my parenting. But, when I received the below message regarding Spelling to Communicate (S2C), I threw my phone and screamed a few choice words in the air: “As a parent…
Letting go is hard! Particularly when being in complete control is my love language! You see, as much as I hope, pray & dream for my nonverbal, autistic 19-year-old son to be even minimally independent, caring for and managing his every need is all both of us have ever known. I know he is capable…
I’m fine. Such a conditioned response I’ve used for the entirety of my life no matter the situation. Served cold food that tastes dreadful – my response to the waiter when asked about my meal is always the same, “it’s fine, thank you.” Someone terribly hurts my feelings or I’m physically injured due to no…
I’m often asked by friends and acquaintances, “How do you do it all?” This statement usually comes after someone has observed me when I’m out and about with my two kids in tow, likely trying to redirect Skyler from reaching out to pull someone’s beautiful, long hair or smacking the arm of a passerby. What…