Faith in Hard Places, Grief and Loss

When the House Feels Different

The ache of changed spaces There is something about grief that changes a house and then that is when the house feels different. The walls are the same.And the furniture is the same.The rooms are still where they have always been. Yet everything feels different. A home can hold so much life inside it. The… Continue reading When the House Feels Different

Faith in Hard Places, Grief and Loss

Where I Am With God Right Now

Where I Am With God Right Now. Holding faith when it doesn’t feel steady If I’m being honest, my faith doesn’t feel neat right now. It’s not wrapped up in certainty or clarity or strong, confident words. It feels quieter than that and sometimes heavier than that. There are moments where I know God is… Continue reading Where I Am With God Right Now

Faith in Hard Places, Grief and Loss

What I Haven’t Said Out Loud Yet

What I Haven’t Said Out Loud Yet The moment everything shifted. I don’t know if there was one exact moment. Honestly, I wish I could point to a day, a sentence, something clear and defined but it wasn’t like that. It was quieter and subtle at first and easy to dismiss if I wanted to.… Continue reading What I Haven’t Said Out Loud Yet

Faith in Hard Places, Grief and Loss

The Grief That Comes Before the Goodbye

The Grief That Comes Before the Goodbye There is a kind of grief that no one really prepares you for. Learning to hold what hasn’t fully happened because nothing has “officially” been lost. They are still here. You can still see them. Still talk to them. And still sit in the same room. Yet something… Continue reading The Grief That Comes Before the Goodbye

Faith in Hard Places, Grief and Loss

When Your Parent Starts to Need You

When Your Parent Starts to Need You When Your Parent Starts to Need You and the moment roles begin to shift, there is a moment that doesn’t announce itself. There are no warning, no conversation and no clear line in the sand. Just a quiet realization that something has changed. It might be the first… Continue reading When Your Parent Starts to Need You

Faith in Hard Places, Trauma and Healing

Letting Light Back In After Darkness

Letting Light Back In After Darkness Emotional openness After darkness, light can feel overwhelming. Healing does not always feel comforting at first. Safety can feel unfamiliar. Calm can feel exposed. Letting light back in is a process. You do not open all the windows at once. You crack one open and notice how it feels.… Continue reading Letting Light Back In After Darkness

Faith in Hard Places, Mental Health and Healing

Letting Someone Face Consequences Without Abandoning Them

Letting Someone Face Consequences Without Abandoning Them Letting someone experience consequences is one of the hardest acts of love. It feels counterintuitive to step back when someone is hurting. Rescuing may reduce immediate pain, but it often prolongs addiction. Allowing consequences creates space for reality to speak. This does not mean abandoning someone emotionally. You… Continue reading Letting Someone Face Consequences Without Abandoning Them

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome

Twelve Candles After Silence

Not Ready Yet: Twelve Candles After Silence The room was supposed to be a doorway home. Quiet, not heavy. Not sad. Just full of the relief that comes when five long days are finally over. Bags packed. Shoes by the door. Hope sitting quietly on the edge of the bed waiting to go home. He… Continue reading Twelve Candles After Silence

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome

New Beginnings are the End of One Chapter and the Start of Another

New beginnings. They carry a quiet kind of hope which is soft, steady, and full of promise. Today is the last day of June, and with it comes a shift. This is the final post I will write about our journey with Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome (OMS). It’s not the end of the story, but it… Continue reading New Beginnings are the End of One Chapter and the Start of Another

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome

With Every Joy and In Every Hope

This journey with OMS has brought me to my knees more times than I can count. It has stretched me, refined me, broken me open and built something stronger in its place. However, With Every Joy, In Every Hope there is Jesus. There have been days filled with fear. With doubt. With exhaustion that sank… Continue reading With Every Joy and In Every Hope

Faith in Hard Places, Health and Safety, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome

Make A Wish and Give Kids The World

For children and adults navigating life-altering medical conditions, the days can feel long, uncertain, and heavy. Between appointments, therapies, and the emotional toll of managing a chronic or critical diagnosis, joy can feel like a distant memory. That’s where the Make-A-Wish Foundation steps in, not just to fulfill a dream, but to restore hope. When… Continue reading Make A Wish and Give Kids The World

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome

Did You Even Know You Were Looking at a Miracle?

“Did you even know that you were looking at a miracle?” That question caught me completely off guard. It came from a gentleman sitting nearby in the waiting room of our chiropractor’s office, and it landed in my ears like a divine interruption. Amid my self-imposed chaos, his words cut straight to my heart. I… Continue reading Did You Even Know You Were Looking at a Miracle?

Faith in Hard Places, Health and Safety, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome

Beads of Courage is A Story of Strength and Recognition

Beads of Courage is A Story of Strength and Recognition. For two years, we’ve tried to access the Beads of Courage program. It is a powerful way to honor children facing life-altering health conditions. I first discovered this initiative through a fellow blogger whose child received these meaningful beads. The concept stayed with me. At… Continue reading Beads of Courage is A Story of Strength and Recognition

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome, Parenting

Dear Special Needs Mama

Dear Special Needs Mama, I don’t know your name, but I know your heart.When I look at you, I see the bags under your eyes and the fear behind your smile.I hear the weight in your silence when someone asks, “How are you?” I’ve been there. Maybe you're still in the ER. Still waiting for… Continue reading Dear Special Needs Mama

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome, Parenting

The Day He Ran was Our Beach Miracle

I can still feel the sand under my feet and I can still remember The Day He Ran. Our Beach Miracle. The sun was setting, the breeze was just right, and we were finally on a family vacation, sort of, after what felt like a lifetime in hospitals. H sat on a blanket, watching the… Continue reading The Day He Ran was Our Beach Miracle

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome, Parenting

When the Siblings Are Watching

When your child is sick, your entire family gets pulled into the storm. What some people may forget is that there are other siblings in the home. This is about When the Siblings Are Watching – The Ripple Effect of Chronic Illness. In our home, the impact of Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome didn’t stop with one… Continue reading When the Siblings Are Watching

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome

When the Doctor’s Told Me There Was No Hope

I will never forget the day a doctor told us, “There’s no hope.” Not in those exact words, maybebut close enough. The weight of it settled like a stone in my chest. My son, my precious, brave boy, was facing Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome. Suddenly, it felt like the world was holding its breath. When the… Continue reading When the Doctor’s Told Me There Was No Hope

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome, Parenting

Speaking the Language of Rare – Part 2

Speaking the Language of Rare – Part 2 In Part 1, I walked through some of the most common medical terms we’ve come to know and use daily. In Part 2, I want to continue unpacking those big words, especially the ones that pop up often in rare disease circles and our story. Acute Cerebellitis… Continue reading Speaking the Language of Rare – Part 2

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome, Parenting

Speaking the Language of Rare – Part 1

In Speaking the Language of Rare – Part 1, when you live with a rare diagnosis, medical terms start to feel like household words. In our world, terms like IVIG, ACTH, and Plasmapheresis are as common as “shower” or “cheese” or “cat.” Even the littlest kids around here know what they mean. But I still… Continue reading Speaking the Language of Rare – Part 1

Faith in Hard Places, Medical, Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome, Parenting

A Father’s Faith

A Father’s Faith: Holding the Fort While My Son Fought to Walk Again In A Father’s Faith, this is something my husband has written documenting those early days of H's illness. We struggled for many weeks after H got sick. Between hospital stays, doctor visits, and treatments, we didn’t know if we were coming or… Continue reading A Father’s Faith