Joy In The Midst of Struggles

Lately, little things have popped up about parents of children with disabilities and I wanted to write a little something. Dear Parents, I see you. I see the hurt in your eyes. I see the struggle of balancing how to deal with someone who is different. I see the sadness. You got pregnant and dreamed of a beautiful life for your child. You imagined all the little steps your child would take and then boom something is different. Your world starts crashing down. You get the word from the doctor of a diagnosis. You start hearing the words your child will not or can't. You think what? How can this be? How am I going to navigate a world that is so foreign to me? Where do you even start? Everyone wants to support you through this new journey but they just don't understand. They don't understand that your child is trying to talk to you but no words are coming out of their mouth. They don't understand that you watch your child trying to tie their shoes and they are just tak

This word I despise because people use it to describe someone and then use it to describe something that person is not. This word is offensive, degrades a person, and puts them into a category. This word is...NORMAL I have had multiple people throughout my years say this either to me or in regards to the differently abled population. Oh my blood boils because I am so passionate about this word and how people use it in the wrong way. Don't get me wrong, people do not mean it negatively but I just wanted you to see this word from a not "normal" person because here is the thing everyone is normal.   Let's think about this what did you just say? Everyone is normal. It's true we all have a unique characteristic about us. We all have something that someone out there would say  is weird. So for you to say I am not normal is offensive. For you to say any one of the individuals I teach or am friends with that have disabilities, or myself strikes a nerve in me

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me... Remember that saying? You would taunt it when you were a kid but as you get older you start to realize um wait a minute.. words do hurt me. This week was extremely challenging for me and I am still trying to pick myself up from it. You know with having a disability you have to develop a very thick skin because people can be mean and say mean things or do mean things by their actions. But still when you get that one person that targets one of your biggest insecurities you can't help but cry. I knew going into any profession I would get someone to tell me you can't do it you have a disability & that was and still is one of my biggest fears. So when it did happen this week I was crushed and I mean wrecked. Driving home from that day the Lord guided me because I was crying so hard that the car lights were blurry. I have worked so hard to get where I am today. I have pushed through multiple obstacles from