Category: Shared Articles

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10 Things I’ve Learned From My Child {With Special Needs}

That’s the title of the blog post i read a couple of months ago and was very touched by it.

In my eyes, before i read that article, even since i was a little girl, orphans have always had a special place in my heart. i had wanted to do something for them since the day i was kept from visiting an orphanage for a school outing. My mother didn’t want me to go. Not because she didn’t want me to help the orphans or learn about them but because she knew me so well and knew that i was be so teary upon seeing them that i would not be of much help. So this desire to help orphans found a very tiny outlet; i gave whenever i could to charities that did help them.

God has led me full circle and now i advocate for special needs orphans who live in countries where resources may not allow them proper care. Even if they had proper care, it is not the same as having a family to call your own; to belong to a group of people who love you regardless of your disabilities.

But this article has turned it around and looked at what a child with special needs could bring to the life of a family.

Have a read: 10 Things I’ve Learned From My Child {With Special Needs}.

i love all 10 points but my favourites are:

2.  Flexibility – I never thought I would allow my children to watch Barney while eating dinner, but Adeline does.  She eats and is not aware of what she is putting in her mouth, it works.

3.  Patience

4.  The value of uniqueness – My children have learned that we all have areas that are weak and strong, and it is O.K.

 

November is little Evelyn’s birthday – won’t it be a great gift to have a family step forward and claim her for their own?

i look at little Evelyn and just know that she has so much to give to a family who would love her just as she is. She is unique; she has weakness such as a short attention span and is limited in her speech. She has FAS (Fatal Alcohol Syndrome). It will require patience to teach her to follow instructions and to help her understand being calm. But with flexibility and a bit of creativity, it can be done.

She will blossom if someone would just take the time and effort to show her how. And i know she can and will be a blessing to the forever family who brings her home. i see in her the capacity to love unconditionally and to be a blessing to the people around her.

But her situation right now doesn’t permit her the opportunity to even think of others. She is an orphan, living with dozens of other kids and given very limited attention or encouragement. She, a 7-year old little girl, needs to look out for herself for now, until someone steps up to look out for her.

Are you that someone? Are you her family? Maybe you would like to find out about that possibility. Please contact Reece’s Rainbow for more information.

Maybe you are not in a position to consider adoption. But you can still help; you can share her story so her forever family can be found. You can donate to her adoption grant so that a lack of funds does not become a reason for her not having a family. Please click on her name or picture to donate.

Last but most definitely not least, you can pray for her; pray for her daily needs and that she would soon have a family to call her own.

Thanks for your kind attention and efforts.

syc

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The Naming Game…

names on a wall
names on a wall (Photo credit: Jasmic)

It has been a while since i wrote about writing. Actually it has been a while since i actually wrote! Period.

My brain has been trying (keyword here) to get into gear because in 30 days is the crazy yet much-loved time of the year… Nanowrimo!

So i have a choice this year… i can do a new story or i can do a complete rewrite of an existing story (which is in dire need of a rewrite).

i had a look at both story ideas and then realised that my characters’ names suck! One of the stories (the rewrite one) already has named characters but i’m not happy with the names. The other one has characters’ names such as Main Character 01, Bad Person 2, Husband etc…

Names are very important to me. They need to mean something. They need to tell or at least give a sense of who the character is. Of course, i know names and the feelings they evoke in people are subjective. But it doesn’t stop me obsessing over them… sometimes… :p

i found this useful article (see link below) and the most amusing idea, which i might just use, is the one where you use Google Maps to find character names 😉 Have a read.

The Naming Game | The View Outside.

Do you have a method of naming your characters? Any advice?

i wish you lots of fun naming your characters. And if you have any idea what to name a discontented wife and a busybody peacemaker, let me know 🙂

syc

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Have a Sibling with Down Syndrome…

This is a recent photo – a bit over a month ago… isn’t she such a cutie? She needs her family to come for her today…

Have you read my “imagining” for my lovely Heather? In June, i wrote a blog post for the Reece’s Rainbow Prayer Warrior’s blog, please read it before going on in today’s post.

As you can tell from that previous post, i really imagine Heather having a most fantastic time with a sibling; a sibling who will love her, care for her and look out for her best interests. A brother or sister who would encourage her and be her cheerleader.

But what i did not cover in that post is how Heather might impact or change the life of that sibling. In the video below, Ashley, who has a sister with Down Syndrome and whose family will be adopting a special needs child, covers that wonderfully.

Before you watch the video Ashley made, i want you to hold a few phrases in your head while you watch the video. Notice when and about whom these words describe.

  • unconditional love
  • not a burden
  • so much joy
  • such a blessing

Got the phrases? OK, now watch the video.

My thoughts on having a sibling with Down syndrome…. – YouTube.

i remember meeting a little girl with Down Syndrome myself, when i was a little girl. She was the niece of my Uncle’s wife. i only met her a couple of times but what i do remember is her smile and her readiness to accept people for who they are, just as they are. i have the picture in my mind of her so gently stroking my face.

What Ashley says of her sister is what my lovely Heather will bring to the family who adopts her. She will show that unconditional love. She will not be a burden but a joy and a blessing.

Maybe as you consider whether or not you could be Heather‘s family, you also worry about the children already in your family.

In the video, at about the 7.5 minute mark, Ashley answers the question whether or not she will find it a burden to take care of her sibling for the rest of her life, should the need arises.

This is what she says: “I would not want her to go to anyone else but me.”

Sure there was fear and uncertainty at the beginning of her relationship with her special needs sibling. Which relationship was not filled with doubts at the very start? But with time, that all went away, and what replaced it was love, true sisterly love.

A love i pray and hope with all my heart that my dear little Heather will get to experience.

My lovely Heather is perfectly healthy except for that extra chromosome which gives her that extra portion of sweetness. She needs a family. She should not be growing up in an institution or orphanage. She should be hugged and held by a loving mother and a caring father. She should be playing with siblings who love her to bits.

Are you her family? If there is a tugging at your heart, please don’t ignore it. Contact Reece’s Rainbow to find out more about Heather and about adopting her.

This month, September, is my lovely Heather‘s birthday month. She is 11. This is my 4th post for her special month. i pray and hope that these posts have made an impact; that you now know my little Heather and care for her.

Do continue to pray for Heather‘s daily needs and most of all, pray for her forever family to find her.

Do also donate to Heather‘s adoption grant. A bigger grant would hopefully get her more notice and bring her closer to finding a family. Click on her name or picture to get to her profile page where there is a Donate button. If you do make a donation, please leave a comment below so i can get in touch and send you a thank-you gift.

i leave you with Ashley’s words about her sister who has Down Syndrome : “She is my sunshine on a cloudy day.”

syc