Follow me for doses of hope, joy, and a little tough-love. Welcome to Redefine Special. Whoever you are, and why ever you’re here, I’m glad that you found this spot. I began writing years ago, sensing that it was important to chronicle my journey as the mom of a special needs child. That journaling, which began on a PC the size of an ATM machine, continued in spurts for many years. Only recently did I take the giant leap of publishing my experiences, one small blog post at a time. After the initial highs and lows (and more lows) of having a special child, a great hope, joy, and peace eventually broke through. It broke out over everything in my life. I truly had an awakening to what Special is. It’s not a burden to bear, a hardship to contend with, or even something to just accept. The definition of special has been changed by our society and put in “air quotes” – to be used as a euphemism for less than, undesirable, or outcast. My journey brought me back to the original, true definition of the word: extraordinary and particularly valued. I am writing each post for that one other special mom out there, who thinks she just has to accept her struggle in life and deal with it. No sister! Follow along with me and you will see, you are so exceptionally gifted in this life. YOU, too, are special! If you’re not that mom should you read on? Well, apparently YES! The most unexpected part of sharing my story has been the people who are affected by it. Men, women, moms, dads, college kids. People from every walk of life have taken a moment to tell me they are so touched, changed, or challenged by the posts. Because it is a true story of God’s mercy and grace, it is an encouragement to all.
