During the month of October I openly shared with you what it was like to receive my daughter’s diagnosis of Down syndrome. Each day I shared with you pieces of our journey during those first few weeks. For those of you that joined in, thank you! My hope in vulnerably sharing with you, is to reach out to that mom that is struggling with her child’s diagnosis or disability. I want those moms (and dads) to know that it is okay; grieving is part of the process.
My story today is much different than the story of that broken mom that questioned why God would give her a child with special needs. My heart is still a work in progress, broken in many places, but what a journey this has been! My husband and I have a burning desire to see the church embrace disability and realize the purpose these vulnerable, yet valuable people have in our congregations. And goodness, I am head over heels over this precious rascal of mine!
I am also done blogging 5 days a week! Phew! That was quite the commitment! I am back to posting 2 to 3 times a week. And remember, every Monday a group of us bloggers/writers get together and share our stories through the writing prompt. We would love to have you join!
November is Adoption Awareness month, and I look forward to sharing more about the adoption process and our experience with international adoption. If you have any questions about adoption, send them my way! I will answer those through posts. I know when we were considering adoption I had 100 questions rushing through my mind. Ask away!
What else is going on? I am busy writing and editing, something I love to do. Earlier in October I attended Breathe (a Christian Writer’s Conference) and it was amazing! I met some incredible writers, editors, and agents. So while I share with you some stories about adoption, I will also be working on a book proposal for an adoption book. Exciting, huh? I gave myself a dead-line, so I need to have that submitted before Thanksgiving. So now that you know, that will keep me accountable, right?
And last, go check out my article for ParentLife!
Special Needs Parents, Are You Surviving?
I created a guide with 13 practical ways to help you find peace in the midst of chaos, opt in to make sure you get a copy of this freebie!
Ellen, I have thoroughly enjoyed (laughed, cried, you name it) your posts, particularly the posts about your precious Nichole and how God has worked in your lives. My granddaughter, Audrey, has Down Syndrome and is the same age as Nichole. I’m guessing, my daughter (her mom) is about your age. 🙂 I appreciate your candor in sharing your struggles and joys.
Calista, thank you for taking the journey with me!
Thank you for sharing your journey. I related so much to your feelings related to the diagnosis of Down Syndrome. My son, Nate, will be 3 in January, and is a pretty amazing little boy. We learned of Nate’s diagnosis at the time of his birth. We were devastated. The fear of the unknown took over. Nate spent 22 days in the NICU and I woke up every morning with sadness and pain that just wracked my body.
If I only knew then….that Nate would be bright, kind, determined,loving, and adventurous. I could not be more grateful for this little boy and the people I have met because of him.
Again, thank you for sharing your journey with me. You have a beautiful family.
All the best,
Jen
Thank you Jen. Isn’t it true? If only we knew then what we know now. Their life is beautiful 🙂
So, you set a great goal to complete a book proposal by Thanksgiving. That’s less than three weeks away. Can we check up on you?
(Thanks for your October posts; they were so moving.)
Yes, please do! And what is yours Peter, if I remember right you are working on two, what is your personal deadline?
Did you get your book proposal done by Thanksgiving?
My personal deadline for “God, I Don’t Want to go to Church” is March 2013 and my deadline for “52 Churches” is June of 2013. Each is over half done. Thanks for asking!