guest post

The Gift of Silence

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Hi reader! I’m over at Our Shared Tales today talking about the gift of silence and why it matters. Maybe you think carving out slices of quiet is a luxury, but it can be practically applied to you too. Read the full post here or check out the excerpt below. 

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Fred Rogers aka “Mister Rogers”, once said in an interview that “silence is a gift”. He then proceeded to sit in silence with the interviewer… the awkwardness in the room is palpable. You can see this clip in a documentary on his life called Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Mister Rogers wasn’t trying to get a laugh, although it was amusing to watch. Rather, he was communicating a truth I often fail to see.

Silence seems boring and unproductive. It can make us uncomfortable. In America, we are hardwired for the exact opposite. From the moment our eyelids peel open each morning we have access to sensory overload. It can start to become normal, serving as background noise….

Click to read the full post

 

Grace upon grace,

April

Fear and Doubt: The lies they tell us

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Hi friend! I’m over at Our Shared Tales today talking about my fears. You can click here to read the full post or this excerpt below. 

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Lately, I’ve started questioning whether it’s worth throwing my two cents into the ring of social media. There are a million voices, some with the same message of truth I write about. But after a while, the faces become faceless and I wonder, does it make any difference? It begins to feel like a circus show and I’m the clown.  My hands get clammy and my breathing grows shallow. Did I take up the wrong mission of longing to reach out to others, to speak truth into their lives? Or at the very least, leave them a blessing for the day. I ask myself, is it possible to encourage people in the virtual world or is it a waste of time? I sense the familiar feeling of fear creep up again- it rises from my belly to my throat, making me a little queasy.

Read the full post here…

The Life I Didn’t Expect

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I found Meredith through Instagram, drawn to her heart in encouraging parents with special needs children. As a parent herself with a child on the Autism Spectrum, she offers her personal experience, compassion, and desire to champion for those who need an advocate. Welcoming another mama’s heart to Redeemed In Grace today.

Guest Post by: Meredith Dangel

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I never wanted to write about autism.

My little family blog, which I started when seemingly anyone with an internet connection had a blog, was meant to document our days and stay connected to our far-flung family and friends.

I never wanted to be an advocate.

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You know the one, right? The attitude-bearing, button-wearing, walking bumper sticker that people avoid. I felt allergic to that. Honestly, I’m still allergic to that.

Yet, I am, without question, an advocate. I’d like to take you to the beginning, to share with you how God prepared me for this role, this passion, and this new career. The beginning, though, is my childhood and we don’t have time for that. I’ll take you instead to a feeling that was born inside me on the day a neighbor asked me a question about then 2.5-year-old Henry.

We didn’t know her well, but she was kind, bringing us a homemade cake just before Christmas and waving from her front porch whenever we pulled into the driveway. Standing in the front yard one afternoon, I shared how we were in the process of evaluating Henry for autism, but I was pretty sure the evaluation would be conclusive that he was, in fact, autistic. As she asked me questions about what autism means, I described it as best I could with just a few months of acquired knowledge. I’ll never forget what she asked then, not unkindly but uncomfortably: “So, they can learn the proper response to others’ emotions, but they don’t actually … feel it?” She gestured toward her heart as she said this.

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I don’t know my exact response, but I remember fumbling. I tried to explain that, yes, they do feel, but my vocabulary was not yet nuanced enough to delve into the complexity of autism and the lack of empathy myth. On that day my effort to understand Henry, to support him with every resource Keith and I had to offer, blossomed into something more. I now wanted to help others understand too. I never again wanted to be stuck without words, to feel as if I had betrayed my son and those like him.

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The path I’ve taken isn’t for everyone and I would never assume it should be. God has nudged me into sharing my own story, educating others about autism, and even changing my career. To ignore Him and to hold tightly to the gifts I’ve been given would be a great shame. I often say if I don’t share my knowledge, I don’t deserve to have it.

Day by day, year by year, God has formed me into a person I didn’t know I could be. In parenting, I do seek advice and never stop learning, but I also trust my instincts. I am confident that I know my son and that a good and loving Father provides each day all that Keith and I need to parent him.

In both my private and public life, I take more risks (calculated and prayerful, of course) and worry less. Maybe that’s the exact opposite of what you’d expect from a mom of a child with a disability, but this part of my identity has made me braver than I ever imagined. For Henry and, most importantly, for God, I would do anything.

I would even wear a fundraising t-shirt. Maybe even a button.

Meredith Dangel is a writer and speaker and soon-to-be mental health therapist who longs to encourage autism parents and empower all to see inclusivity doesn’t have to be difficult – it can be beautiful.

http://www.meredithmdangel.com/

https://www.instagram.com/MeredithMDangel/

https://www.instagram.com/mamaneedsamoment/

A Window View

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I’ve asked another mom to write a guest post on what it’s like to parent a child with special needs. My friend Alicia has a son in the same school as Jesse, and we met at the beginning of the year. She has shown me the ropes, as it were, for support groups, community meetings on special needs, events, and overall made me feel welcome in a new school environment.

We’re both parents of children with special needs but it looks different for each of us because no two diagnosis are the same. My hope is to facilitate more stories like hers from other parents since this is a community that largely goes unnoticed. Maybe because someone doesn’t know what to say or how to help, or afraid they’ll say the wrong thing. Reading part of someone else’s story can help us relate to one another a little better. Maybe you or someone you know cares for a special needs child or adult. It’s helpful to know you aren’t alone and that others share similar stories.

It can be a sensitive topic- but more than that I think the special needs community appreciates compassion. Compassion to not feel like we or our children are less than, compassion to see us when it’s easier to avoid the uncomfortable. Here is a window view of what Alicia’s daily life is like with her son William.

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Guest post by Alicia Lynch

My name is Alicia and I’m a mom to three wonderful kids.  My oldest William has Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Intellectual Disability.  He is 10.  This is one of my stories about him.  I have two other children Wyatt who is 7, and Annaliese who is 3.

Grooming is difficult for lots of children with Autism and other sensory disorders.  But let me tell you, it’s a crazy task in our house.  Back when William was a baby he hated his nails trimmed.  Once I accidentally cut the tip of his finger and it bled.  My mom guilt sat in!  Is this why he hates his nails trimmed or is it his Autism? Or something else? Then you discover a ripped toenail and wonder when did that happen?  Is that why he was upset?

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When William was about 5, we would have to put on his favorite television show, while my husband held him and I trimmed his nails, or vice versa.  We had to be quick.  He hated it!  But here we are today, at 10.  And he is finally tolerating having his nails trimmed.  Does he like it? No. Tolerate it? Yes.  And that’s a WIN!

I write this to give others hope. Your child with sensory issues might deal with a simple grooming task at 10, 12, or hey, your child might handle it at 5.  But there’s light at the end of this tunnel for us.  When he was 3, I never imagined that we would be where we are now.  Mamas, take a deep breath and keep on going.  Because I swear to you, that was just yesterday.  Now, haircuts, that’s a completely different story!

To those reading this who do not have children with special needs, I ask that you be kind and patient with us parents of special needs children.  It’s simple things like trimming a child’s nails that will put you over the edge some days.  It’s these little things that are not difficult but they add up.  And special needs parenting is stressful enough.