I think of myself as a free spirit- freedom = happy. Love that verse- Whom the Son has set free, they are free indeed. I’m the first to admit, I don’t like restraints, limits, boundaries- at least without being told why. 🙂 s Surely somebody besides me can relate? speed limits, seat belt laws, any […]
Mysterious are God’s ways and I love it when you find yourself right smack dab in the middle of a great “out take”. Scene 210,543 and ——- Action! Cohen, Finley, Amy, Bethany, Jeff and I went to lunch at Taco Bell to see our son, Micah, who is the General Manager. We were seated and […]
[Tweet “Look up! Accept God’s #crown of loving kindness and tender mercies.”] “Momma, why I have creepy eyes?” quote- Bethany Barclay, 10 years old- with down syndrome ~ My mission: Equip Bethany (& all my children & grandchildren) with the truth: [Tweet “We are created in the image of God and He #crowns us with […]
Today was a “gray day” Not outside, the sun was shining, but inside our home & hearts, a storm was brewing. It was the kind of day, you’re glad you’ve been “storing up” lots of inspirational words & absorbing the the tangible love of family and friends; because, just like we should store up money […]
Jeff & I were raised in a small town (750 people 🙂 ) a beautiful Methodist church, rich with tradition and filled with saints I still admire. It’s glory was the fantastic stained glass windows. I always imagined I was the little lamb Jesus was carrying! [Tweet “Jesus is the Good #Shepherd. He #carries us […]
The Bethany Paradox There is no paradox in loving her- only in understanding……….. I love her so much it hurts- Embracing her vulnerable weakness Dismayed her DNA is destructively damaged. I cry, I laugh with joy, I worry & fret, I ache with longing, yet rejoice in who she is Her spirit- so […]
I’ve shared many stories of Bethany; lifting my cell phone to call a sibling, regularly texting everyone to see what they’re doing and when they’re coming over to see her, how she has everyone’s phone number memorized and has no problem navigating any phone she happens to find. So it made sense (in my limited […]
If you’ve been following the * “Saige Saga” you know, the quest began simply enough. Like most people, we try to make giving intrinsic to our life- even though it may be small and meager; besides tithing, we like saving all our spare change at Christmas time because Bethany has to give to […]
Children are the heartbeat of Christmas ~ To see with wonder…. to know the joy of His presence. “For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.” Charles Dickens Sharing Precious Moments We have 7 different nativities- they’re child friendly and […]
I actually had someone ask me the other day, “How’s your downs girl?” My downs girl?! MY DOWNS GIRL?!!!! I looked at them in stunned silence? Seriously, if you can’t remember her name, don’t ask- please! “Do you mean my DAUGHTER, Bethany?” They had the wisdom to look embarrassed. I don’t see downs syndrome, […]
Before “special needs” made its grand entrance into our lives, I walked in ignorant bliss, unaware of hidden treasure. “Special” Needs – the gift that no one asks for …… [Tweet “Sometimes the most #precious #gifts were never desired in the first place. #downsyndrome #treasure”] c When Bethany was born and the genetic testing came […]
[box] RAM- 1)Random Access Memory-RAM in the computer is like short-term memory in our brain. The hard disk in our computer is comparable to our long term memory. [/box] We all deal with “limits” in our human brain! I know I have days where I feel “brain fog” or “brain dead”. I go into a […]
Way back when (gosh that makes me sound old LOL) I loved playing my records (Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, Jungle Book- then later, Donny Osmond & The Partridge Family) on my very own record player. I would carefully lift the “arm” that held the needle and place it gently so as not to scratch the grooves in the record. Scratches […]
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book Psalm 56:8 God knows I must have a ginormous bottle and I’m fairly certain you do too. Sometimes, my “life between the trees” journey feels like someone unexpectedly pushed me off a […]
Do you love me? We show our love in millions of miniscule ways; hugs, flowers, a card, a phone call, small gifts, expensive gifts, silly gifts, thoughtful gifts, the gift of time, touch, a smile, sharing, encouraging, cheering, and certainly we should daily say the three little words that have the power to rock someone’s […]