Changes

After discovering that your child has special needs your whole world changes. Things that at one point were very important may seem trivial and things that you never noticed can become very important. Your goals for your child shift and the goals you have for yourself and family can change dramatically. There will be changes in relationships with friends and family. I can’t think of one area of our life that has not been significantly impacted by the fact that we have children with special needs. The change may be small, for example, Hailey is allergic to nuts, and therefore, we rarely have things with nuts. Or the change may be dramatic, Ashley can’t speak and has many other limitations, therefore, even though she is eleven years old, we have to monitor her like a toddler, possibly for the rest of our lives. Most days we have adjusted to what passes for normal day to day life at our house and are happily counting our blessings, however, every now and then a moment hits me and I realize the impact and the loss all over again. It is at those times that I fiercely hold on to my belief that God knows better than I, and has a wonderful plan for me and my children. Now you may be saying that nobody has a “normal” life, to which I would reply there is, “This is not normal.” and then there is, “THIS IS NOT NORMAL.” For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 Originally posted April 2011