Rachel
The Death of a Loved One (with great love comes great sorrow)
I didn’t know how my daughter would process Mom’s death. Rachel and Mom shared a close bond, developed through all the years my mother would travel with us to doctor appointments. Everyone deals differently with the death of a loved one. With our girl’s small verbal vocabulary, none of us knew how she was dealing…
Trust God’s Refining Grace (What We Need; Maybe Not What We Want)
God provides what we need, not necessarily what we want, and that’s a good thing. Trust Him to work for your good in and through the pain. Trust His refining grace. God’s Refining Grace If you would have asked me what I needed 30 years ago as a young wife, my answer would have been…
Learning to Let Go of What If and Embrace What Is
Circumstances can sure throw a wrench in the plans we make for our future. How we react when reality doesn’t match or expectations matters. Will we embrace it or wish it away? One = promise and hope, one = bitterness and hopelessness. On our wedding day, my husband and I didn’t give allot of thought…
Three Ways to Love Big When You Feel You Have Little to Give
If you are coming from reading my devotion at Proverbs 31, Encouragement for Today, welcome (if not, click here to read it)! I’m so glad you are here. I invite you to linger, explore a little, be encouraged, and offer encouragement in the comments where you are able. And if you like what you read,…
Find the Power You Need for a Chaotic Life by Being Anchored In (& a book review)
When my daughter was little, her “after school” future seemed far away. Not so anymore. We’re likely within a half year of that future being her present (although she “graduated” with her class last year, she is still attending classes). That thought is never far from my mind. I wake in the morning wondering what…
The One Reason We Can Face an Overwhelming Future Without Being Overcome #AdventReflections
My friend and I struggle with looking too far into our daughters’ futures. It can be frightening and overwhelming. She because her sweet Taylor has been given a shortened expected lifespan. (This post is now in memory of Taylor, who went to be with the Lord January 2, 2019.) Me because my sweet Rachel may…
When Our Dreams Seem Too Big (live fully)
Sometimes the dreams God’s laid on our hearts seem too big to ever be possible. It’s then we know we’re walking by sight, not faith. I’ve learned much from raising a child who has significant disabilities. One lesson that stands out is don’t believe everything you see or are told. We often have false perceptions. Because perceiving involves observing,…
Sometimes We Need to See Differently (like these high school students did)
Sometimes appreciation only comes when we choose to see differently. Although my daughter is 18 years old, she speaks with the aid of an iPad. Rachel cannot tie her own shoes or completely dress herself. She has been diagnosed with significant intellectual and physical disabilities. There are many things Rachel cannot do without assistance. Yet, my daughter is…
When the Burden You’re Asked to Carry Is Far Too Heavy
Sometimes we’re tasked with carrying a burden too heavy to lift. It’s in those impossible assignments where we discover we’re not alone. Impossible Burden When God asked me to take on the job of parenting a child with special needs, I felt inadequate for the task at hand. My awareness of that inadequacy has increased as my daughter has…
The Key to Loving Well (out of the life of babes)
“Out of the mouths of babes…” is an idiom uttered when a child says something particularly astute and wise. Well I say, “out of the life of babes…,” because out of my children’s lives I’ve learned so many valuable lessons! Especially from the life of my daughter who has significant special needs. One area in which Rachel’s a…
Hello, I'm Julie, an imperfect wife and mother of four. Life in this broken world is not always easy. Yet, joy can be found in each day through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I find it's easy for our day's blessings to get lost in its happenings. But God's "mercies never end" (Lamentations 3:22) and His "grace is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
May the posts and pages on this site offer you a measure of peace and encouragement.
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