I descended the stairs, immediately irritated by what was awaiting me with each scream originating from my 15-year-old son. Great, I muttered as the uninvited stench rose to greet my nose. Luke, my...
A Holy Shift
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jessplusthemess Archive
Holy Work
“This is holy work,” I begrudgingly reminded myself a day after returning home from a much needed vacation; a week of relaxation, sun, and reconnecting with my husband, and here I was now, again,...
Manna for the Moment
Luke has been back in school for about a week now. Experts claim that special needs caretakers often experience PTSD, and I particularly notice this tendency when I don’t have him on my radar for an...
Luke’s Brain
I often struggle to understand or explain Luke’s thought process to others. Luke, my 15 year old primarily non-verbal son with profound special needs. Friends, bystanders or even specialists will...
MOM! Don’t Bring Luke!
A few weeks ago, on a particularly warm summer day, Ryan and I announced to our crew – Kids! You’ve been so helpful lately and did your chores without complaining so we’re going to have a family fun...
Why You Should Care About Children With Special Needs
It can be difficult to understand the complexities of raising a special needs child if this calling is not part of your daily reality. I get it. I never gave these children nor their caretakers a...
See Me Too – A Caregiver’s Plea
Dear mama with normal children, Normal? Typical? What’s politically correct you might wonder? As do I and – What is normal anyway? Honestly, I’m not sure because I’m tired. And I don’t spend my free...
To The Medical Mama – I See You.
How many times have Ryan and I watched from a distance – mostly online – as a special needs family spent weeks or even months in the hospital with their child, and we said to each other – gosh,...
A Glimpse – I Choose Hard
“You and Ryan seem so calm” A phrase I often heard when Luke was in PICU for almost 4 weeks this past December and into January. We probably appeared calm because we’ve experienced the worst case...
Simple Ways to Support Special Needs Caregivers
Anger, guilt, anxiety, depression, stress and exhaustion. Pick a word – special needs caregivers experience it. Not seasonally nor occasionally but daily. I do often with 8 kids; one, my 15...
Caregiver Spotlight – Deanna’s Story
Thank you for your willingness to share your story for The Lucas Project blog! My objective is to raise awareness and shine a spotlight on caregivers and how difficult our role can be. We...
Caregiver Spotlight – Susanna’s Story
Thank you for your willingness to share your story for The Lucas Project blog! My objective in raising awareness is to shine a spotlight on caretakers and how difficult our role can be. We...