The memories on my social media feeds remind me of summers past. Not that I could forget.  The feed of photos from the triplets' teen years could explain why my stomach knots up when I think about our time in Arizona. One surgery after another.  One hard recovery after another. One summer spent squeezing in fun around all the therapies, the casts, the incisions that needed to heal. (I would be remiss if I didn't point out that my memory feed also points to amazing friends who stood with us, prayed with us, sent movies and meals to us -- from near and far! We a ..read more

We had made it almost ten years without Benjamin needing anesthesia for anything at all. 2013 was a year that scarred us more than a little because of the multiple surgeries he required but honestly he had already had more than I can count before that year happened.  Regardless it had been ten years. Ten wonderful, glorious, no-need-to-panic-fret-and-bake-all-the-cookies years.  And really, today was not a huge deal. He needed an endoscopy and that required him to be sedated. No big deal really.  Except that in the ten years since his last surgery, Benjamin has aged ten years ..read more

The little girl was standing with her mother when the elevator doors opened. She looked at Mason with his crutches and her eyes grew round with wonder. "But, wha?" "I mean what?" "Wha...." I am not sure if her mother was tightening her grip and that is why she couldn't form the sentence entirely. Seconds passed as Mason and I made our way with our luggage off of the elevator as she stammered and tried to form what she desperately wanted to ask: "But what is wrong with him? Why does he use THOSE??" she finally got her questions out as she pointed to Mason's crutches (if you have been around h ..read more

My cutting garden looked beautiful and sad simultaneously when I returned home from a week away. My Zinnias were more bountiful and colorful than in previous years, affirming my decision to plant them in a different spot this season. But they almost looked as if something large had flattened them in areas -- oh they were still blooming, but they were laying down!  From my garden. I am a complete gardening-novice even though this is my third growing year. I tweaked my garden set-up this spring to make it manageable throughout our very busy softball summer but I still am guessin ..read more

The little statue stands sentinel over my garden.  Though not scary in the least, I trust him to keep away anything that might intend harm to my seedlings as they begin to grow, sprout, and offer the food that is their potential. Yesterday I was sorting through old photos and happened upon these that documented the bright, vibrant colors that adorned this little garden statue when my trio gifted him to me for Mother's Day one year. I see this mother holding bright and shiny Mickey and I smile. I was just a few years into my own journey of standing sentinel over the little see ..read more

Sailing into April 18 with a rapid speed feels just about right. The last few months -- ok, the last two years -- are so weird time-wise. Will we as a people struggle to assign a timeline to our memories of these days? The anchor points are lacking for me. No big travels. No fun gatherings of loved ones. It is just weird, right?  And this year, rushing toward April 18 feels as if someone pushed the 2x button and we are really going in fast forward speed. Quite the exact opposite of the April that made this date so significant. Quite different from the snail's pace in which time moved a ..read more

*Today is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day in the US. I am pulling out one of my first awareness posts in hopes that you will enjoy the stroll down memory lane with me and of course it is always my hope that by hearing our story, you'll be more aware of the stories around you!* I do not gamble. Ok, so I have never gambled -- unless you count the penny poker the senior boys taught us on the church bus driving to North Carolina one summer -- but if I were inclined to gamble, I certainly wouldn't any longer! Numbers seem to work in an opposite-from-the-rest-of-the-world-way for me. For e ..read more

Benjamin and I decided to celebrate his fast approaching 20th anniversary of powered mobility by talking about how hard that decision -- to let him try a wheelchair -- was for me and how we might make it easier for the next mom...we'd love for you to join us ..read more

In a world that feels upside down more often than not of late, and where the less-than-beautiful sides of humanity seem to be front and center every where you turn, I need to tell you a couple of stories that reminded me recently of how much good still exists. I wanted to share sooner, but honestly it has taken me a minute to process, to swallow the knot that jumps into my throat as soon as I think about the phone call telling me my mother had been transported to the hospital by ambulance. Let me pause right here to say that my mother is home. Perhaps it is just to calm my own racing hea ..read more

First holiday concert in two years happened tonight. Benjamin and I were so thrilled to hear Cate and friends perform but the concert was in the brother school and thanks to Covid, we have only barely been in Cate's school....we certainly have had no cause to enter the brother school several blocks away. We found the accessible entrance. I went ahead to scout it out before unloading Benjamin. This pandemic has made our entering new spaces extremely rare but my memory serves. I know access isn't a guarantee. As I entered, I noticed a set of stairs in either direction. I could see a ramp but i ..read more