Today's gift is hope.
I have two blogs, but unfortunately the other blog has taken a back seat since I started this one. It is really hard to write for one blog, let alone two. Once this one is finished (16 more to go!!!), I will continue to write on my first blog, originally titled Her Climb, but changed it too Our Everyday, Finding Color Amidst the Grey, in October 2012.
Back in April of 2012, I wrote a post on my first blog titled, HOPE. This post was written when our journey with Rett Syndrome hit a bump in the road with my daughter and how hope had entered our lives in a couple of ways.
Hope always has a way of finding its way into our lives when we need it the most. It really does.
The church we started attending a little over a year ago is called Hope. I would love to say we have been regulars, but we haven't. We were really good at the beginning, then we started going down hill. Some of the reasons were to do with my daughter and others were not. It left an empty hole in our lives...one I honestly felt.
After being away for the last FIVE out of six weekends, we finally made it a much needed priority to go back to church. It felt incredible to be back. It was exactly what I needed and as soon as we entered I felt the "hole" go away.
Last Saturday I wrote a post titled, "A Message". What you do not know (yet, in due time you will) is that this message came at a time when my husband and I really needed it as my daughter was having the Rett Monster enter her world in a way he never had before. The "message" of hope that was given to us that Saturday morning I will never forget.
My daughter loves going to church. She sits with us and does not attend the regular Sunday School class...yet. I still say "yet" as I would love for her to participate, but the other side of me also enjoys having her be by our side listening to the sermon. She loves the music and loves people watching. If she didn't enjoy it, then I would help her in Sunday School. Right now, this is a good fit for all of us.
We watched a short video in church this morning, which was extremely funny....and she laughed appropriately! She was laughing at the joke just like the rest of us! And she was able to witness two babies getting baptized.
Then at the end of church as we were walking out of our aisle, the gentleman behind us, tapped my husband on the arm and said something. I couldn't hear as it was loud from the music, but by the tears welling up in my husband's eyes when I said, "what did he say" told me it must have been powerful.
Once we were out in the hall, we pulled over to the side and he told me the gentleman said, "thank you for loving her". Ok...tears in two parents eyes!
Two wonderful messages of hope one week apart! You know what they say....things happen in threes! I am very curious what my third message of hope is going to be.
I went on to get our other two children and while my husband was waiting for me, the man came up again to him. They started talking and he ACTUALLY knew what Rett Syndrome was...I mean REALLY knew!!!! He asked my husband if there was anything he could do for her and he said, "just please pray for her". I can not thank this gentleman enough for taking the time to say those five words which really meant a lot and truly caring about us and our daughter.
Why do I call both of these messages, messages of hope? Because both are telling us how special our daughter is and how she was given to us to love, nurture and care for, for a reason and how through hope, we will see this journey through. Both of these messages would not have been given to us if it were not for our daughter having special needs.
Getting this message today at HOPE, was the sign I needed to remind me we do need to go to church as much as we can...no excuses. I feel like a different person when we leave church on Sunday and it helps me start my week of right. I have tried it the other way...praying at home, on my own. And it isn't the same.
Both of these messages were perfect for my husband to receive first hand too as he deals with his emotions and concerns with Rett Syndrome differently than I do...we all do. It was a perfect reminder for him too, that sometimes we do need a place we all can find hope on our own personal level. All of us....me, my husband, my daughter with Rett Syndrome, my middle daughter and my son. We all need hope in our lives.
Here is a quote for today....
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future- Jeremiah 29:11
© copyright 2012 – All rights reserved
365 Days Gift
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Hope
Today's gift is hope.
The word "hope" truly is special to me.
First, and foremost, hope is what my daughter gives me every day. She is my inspiration. She shows me what can be done if you believe.
Second, Hope, is the name of the therapy center where my daughter receives physical therapy weekly. At Hope, they give her just that....hope....hope she will thrive, hope she will one day not need physical therapy, and PT will become personal training.
And lastly, Hope, is the name of the Church we attend. Hope Church is the place where we all can relax and know everything will be okay. Hope Church is the place where we know faith will join hope and together they will help us on this Rett Syndrome journey and any other challenges we face.
As you know from my previous post, Christmas came a little early for our kids. Our dog, Midnight, is super sweet and the kids light up when they see him, especially my oldest. She has waited so long for a dog. However, Midnight, wants to play...in a jumpy, happy way, later in the afternoon and they do not like this. I can't blame them and my oldest doesn't really understand, so I have to protect her. But in dealing with this I have hope....
I know we too shall get through this phase. I know we will because I believe with the proper training Midnight will be perfect. He needs someone to believe in him, just like my daughter has someone who believes in her. He has had one owner, who became ill and passed away, then was taken to the SPCA and now us. I can only imagine how much energy he has to get out of his system, but unfortunately, the kids do not understand.
Emails have been placed to find the "dog whisperer" so Midnight can be the pet we know he can be for our family. People who believe in my daughter everyday give her and us the hope we need. Now it is our turn to believe in Midnight.
Here are some quotes for today....
When the world says give up, hope whispers try it one more time- Author Unknown
Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark- George Iles
Where hope grows, miracles blossom- Elra Rae
You will feel fulfilled when you do the impossible for someone else- Author Unknown
The word "hope" truly is special to me.
First, and foremost, hope is what my daughter gives me every day. She is my inspiration. She shows me what can be done if you believe.
Second, Hope, is the name of the therapy center where my daughter receives physical therapy weekly. At Hope, they give her just that....hope....hope she will thrive, hope she will one day not need physical therapy, and PT will become personal training.
And lastly, Hope, is the name of the Church we attend. Hope Church is the place where we all can relax and know everything will be okay. Hope Church is the place where we know faith will join hope and together they will help us on this Rett Syndrome journey and any other challenges we face.
As you know from my previous post, Christmas came a little early for our kids. Our dog, Midnight, is super sweet and the kids light up when they see him, especially my oldest. She has waited so long for a dog. However, Midnight, wants to play...in a jumpy, happy way, later in the afternoon and they do not like this. I can't blame them and my oldest doesn't really understand, so I have to protect her. But in dealing with this I have hope....
I know we too shall get through this phase. I know we will because I believe with the proper training Midnight will be perfect. He needs someone to believe in him, just like my daughter has someone who believes in her. He has had one owner, who became ill and passed away, then was taken to the SPCA and now us. I can only imagine how much energy he has to get out of his system, but unfortunately, the kids do not understand.
Emails have been placed to find the "dog whisperer" so Midnight can be the pet we know he can be for our family. People who believe in my daughter everyday give her and us the hope we need. Now it is our turn to believe in Midnight.
Here are some quotes for today....
When the world says give up, hope whispers try it one more time- Author Unknown
Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark- George Iles
Where hope grows, miracles blossom- Elra Rae
You will feel fulfilled when you do the impossible for someone else- Author Unknown
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Acceptance
Today's gift is acceptance.
Have you been someplace and felt like you are being judged? Have you ever been part of a group and felt you had to keep up with everyone just to "fit in"?
Before we had children and before our daughter was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome we pretty much "fit in" with any social circle we socialized with. We were "accepted" no matter where we went....no stares, no looks, no judging.
Life was easy before "D" day....diagnosis day. We could go pretty much anywhere with or without our two children (this was before my son was born) and our friends could watch our children...at this point our daughters were both "typical".
We didn't have to worry about anything which would keep us from being able to do the things we wanted as a family....going out to dinner, going to an amusement park, going on a vacation via an airplane....even going to church.
However, once something in your life changes....something "visible" to everyone....everything changes.
You see changes in the way strangers look at you and may even talk about you....in front of you. Many of the social circles you used to run in will start to get smaller as many people don't want to deal with your new situation, so ignoring it is easier than "accepting" it. People who you "thought" were your close friends, are no longer close friends....or your friend at all.
This was certainly a learning experience for us....not only with learning what Rett syndrome was, but learning how our life was going to change on all levels. And places were we could feel comfortable and accepted was a challenge for us.
As you know from my past posts....all I have mentioned above is of the past. Our life now is wonderful...except Rett Syndrome is still a part of it. But even with Rett, we are very blessed. However, for this post, I had to bring you back to the days before Rett Syndrome entered our lives.
One place which was a challenge for us to find where we could feel both comfortable and accepted was at church. After our daughter's diagnosis we were going to a church which had a program for families with children who had special needs....like us...but there was something missing. Something didn't feel comfortable to us. Or maybe it was not the right time for us.
So we stopped going...and kept putting "finding" a new church on the never-ending "to do" list. It remained on the list for FOUR years....until we realized we had to make it a priority....we realized not going to church was a huge void in our life....we realized we needed a relationship with God.
This past spring we started going to a new church. A church which has brought HOPE into our lives. A church where we feel both comfortable and accepted.
Last month I was asked by the church to share my story with them for an upcoming video they were filming for their 15th anniversary celebration. I was both honored and scared. Scared....because we know how I feel about public speaking...right! Honored...they chose me and felt our story was worth sharing with the church.
Today was our church's big "15th" celebration! Today they shared the video for the first time to the church. Today people heard our story and how we felt comfortable and accepted in our first couple of visits to the church. This level of comfort and acceptance hasn't changed.
We were accepted with our challenges....and with our challenges we felt comfortable in our new church. This is not a place we have to pretend. This is not a place we have to hide our fears. This is a place we can just be us. This is a place where we have found HOPE by being accepted....exactly as we are.
Here are some quotes for today....
There is so much grace in acceptance. It's not an easy concept, but if you embrace it, you'll find more peace than you ever imagined - Loretta LaRoche
Accept what you can not change, and change what you can not accept- Author Unknown
Happiness can only exist in acceptance- George Orwell
***If you receive the gift daily by email make sure you look at yesterday's gift too. It was not emailed to you last night as you can see I have a new look to my blog. Just want you to be caught up!!! Thank you!***
Have you been someplace and felt like you are being judged? Have you ever been part of a group and felt you had to keep up with everyone just to "fit in"?
Before we had children and before our daughter was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome we pretty much "fit in" with any social circle we socialized with. We were "accepted" no matter where we went....no stares, no looks, no judging.
Life was easy before "D" day....diagnosis day. We could go pretty much anywhere with or without our two children (this was before my son was born) and our friends could watch our children...at this point our daughters were both "typical".
We didn't have to worry about anything which would keep us from being able to do the things we wanted as a family....going out to dinner, going to an amusement park, going on a vacation via an airplane....even going to church.
However, once something in your life changes....something "visible" to everyone....everything changes.
You see changes in the way strangers look at you and may even talk about you....in front of you. Many of the social circles you used to run in will start to get smaller as many people don't want to deal with your new situation, so ignoring it is easier than "accepting" it. People who you "thought" were your close friends, are no longer close friends....or your friend at all.
This was certainly a learning experience for us....not only with learning what Rett syndrome was, but learning how our life was going to change on all levels. And places were we could feel comfortable and accepted was a challenge for us.
As you know from my past posts....all I have mentioned above is of the past. Our life now is wonderful...except Rett Syndrome is still a part of it. But even with Rett, we are very blessed. However, for this post, I had to bring you back to the days before Rett Syndrome entered our lives.
One place which was a challenge for us to find where we could feel both comfortable and accepted was at church. After our daughter's diagnosis we were going to a church which had a program for families with children who had special needs....like us...but there was something missing. Something didn't feel comfortable to us. Or maybe it was not the right time for us.
So we stopped going...and kept putting "finding" a new church on the never-ending "to do" list. It remained on the list for FOUR years....until we realized we had to make it a priority....we realized not going to church was a huge void in our life....we realized we needed a relationship with God.
This past spring we started going to a new church. A church which has brought HOPE into our lives. A church where we feel both comfortable and accepted.
Last month I was asked by the church to share my story with them for an upcoming video they were filming for their 15th anniversary celebration. I was both honored and scared. Scared....because we know how I feel about public speaking...right! Honored...they chose me and felt our story was worth sharing with the church.
Today was our church's big "15th" celebration! Today they shared the video for the first time to the church. Today people heard our story and how we felt comfortable and accepted in our first couple of visits to the church. This level of comfort and acceptance hasn't changed.
We were accepted with our challenges....and with our challenges we felt comfortable in our new church. This is not a place we have to pretend. This is not a place we have to hide our fears. This is a place we can just be us. This is a place where we have found HOPE by being accepted....exactly as we are.
Here are some quotes for today....
There is so much grace in acceptance. It's not an easy concept, but if you embrace it, you'll find more peace than you ever imagined - Loretta LaRoche
Accept what you can not change, and change what you can not accept- Author Unknown
Happiness can only exist in acceptance- George Orwell
***If you receive the gift daily by email make sure you look at yesterday's gift too. It was not emailed to you last night as you can see I have a new look to my blog. Just want you to be caught up!!! Thank you!***
Posted with Blogsy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)