I've been seeking and learning from some other special needs moms. I've said before, this doesn't always come naturally to me. So I'm not talking about tons of women knowing all my stuff. I mean it's one, maybe two other people. Because we all know how women can behave. (Women. And their behavior. Just look at reality TV shows. You don't see any "Men Behaving Badly", "Dance Dads", or "Real Husbands of Atlanta/Nashville/Whoville. Holy cow, I think I found my next blog post ...) Back to reaching out ~ It's not that I really had to reach out, our lives are kindof on display of late so I don't need to say much. But one conversation leads to another and before you know it we realize we are all dealing with a little of the same thing with our special needs kids. Different but the same. Who knew?! Funny how that happens in community. Sometimes we are able to help give each other answers. Sometimes every one's answer is a little bit different for their family. And that's okay. But what it ends with is this. I'll pray for you and you pray for me. Community.
We've been searching for our son's place in church. With his special needs and being a teenager we are finding it's becoming more and more isolating for him and us. We've never been the game night, group potluck, kind of family that was over-involved anyway. But we miss the little we did. We want it for our sons. Disability is difficult on our own. But so is cancer, losing a job, divorce, aging parents, wayward children, pornography, alcoholism ... the list is never-ending. I think God made us to come together in our time of need, our time of celebration, whatever the season of life. We need Community.
As Christians we can have a tendency to retreat from the things of this world. We can get caught up in our own little world and want nothing to do with those things that might stretch us, scare us or even hurt us a little. But I don't think that's how Jesus saw us living this life. That's not how he lived life. He lived life speaking with the messy people. Sinners just like me. John 1:14 says, "He made his dwelling among us..." I wonder if he would have been out amongst the trick or treaters? desiringGod put out a blog that addresses just that regarding Halloween. I love this. So many times our churches say Halloween is EVIIIIL. And yes, it can be just that. And creepy. And something I shelter my children's eyes from. (Believe me, The Exorcist & Amityville Horror movies still haunt me both day and night!) But the fun, dressing up like a cute little puppy, going door-to-door, candy-collecting in the neighborhood kind of Halloween? Man, that's the stuff of memories! Some of my favorite childhood memories are of Halloween fun with my brother and sister. There was nothing more exciting than dumping our candy haul on the kitchen table after walking all over the neighborhood with each other and our friends. I want my kids to experience the excitement of getting the "good" candy. I want them to feel the disappointment of receiving the "healthy snack". They should know the consequence of the terrible costume choice they made is wearing the mask that is smothering for at least a little while. I want them to cherish every one of those memories someday.
And I really want them to know what it means to be involved in a Community.
Bible Verse I'm Loving Today:
John 1:14
On second thought, if you are dressing your children like my brother & I are dressed here then maybe you should be staying in the house after all. I don't even know what I am supposed to be. A witch? A clown? A witchy clown? And my brother, well, he is just darn cute in this picture. But the thing is, he wasn't really into "cute". He was more the "shoot your sister with a BB gun cowboy" type.
Both of us remember this Halloween. We both have big smiles on our crazy faces. So we must have had enjoyed ourselves and had a pretty good candy haul that night.
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