My son Edward has really taken to his new camera… he shot close to 3oo pictures today at the zoo. This is a wonderful way for us to see what he sees, and (given his inability to clearly communicate) ‘hear’ about his day. Here are a few of his more original shots; [...]
A sickness that leads to understanding
This past year I have been sick with either a cold or the flu more often than ever before. (You’re going to think this next part is pathetic) Several times I’ve wondered if my son Edward is to blame. Knowing that many of his peers from his day program are imuno-compromised, I thought that perhaps [...]
Can Edward love God?
Edward and I are both home sick this morning. A good time for him to catch up on some ‘Sound of Music’ movie watching. Nothing stranger than hearing him sing, “The hills are alive…” between episodes of wretching into a pail. For me, its time to read a month’s worth of backed up journal articles [...]
Shots over the bow and near misses
I have no idea how thankful I should be. Three weeks ago a moral-ethical warning shot came over the bow of my life. It left me shaking for days. But for the grace of God. And then, two weeks ago, our son Edward gave us the scare of a lifetime. Fran and I were watching [...]
Beauty in juxtaposition
Sometimes the beauty resides in the juxtaposition. Sitting down to breakfast this morning, I noticed one of my son’s 4th year science papers on the table. It was entitled; The Function and Activity of Different Multidrug Efflux Pumps in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Beneath the title was his name, Thomas Van Sloten, student ID number and course description. [...]
Eddy’s future
It always hits me when I least expect it. First, as just a passing thought as I watched Edward get ready for pickup for his daily ‘vocation and leisure’ program; “This is now his life,” I thought, “Five days a week of sporadic volunteer work, various programs, and bowling and swimming. It may not change [...]
out of control
I just got a call from one of Edward’s careworkers saying that he was left by himself, sitting on a bench, in front of a building where he was to begin a new volunteer job. Left alone. Not handed over to another person. Edward, with no language skills – a boy who cannot cross the [...]
Does Edward understand you God?
For the past month I’ve been looking at Edward and wondering what he’s thinking. Because of his very limited communication capacities I never really know what’s going on in that brain of his. Often I wonder what he comprehends of God. ”Does he understand you? Know you?” At times I struggle with this. But watching the animated film How to Tame Your Dragon with [...]
parenting a disabled child
This morning I said to my wife Fran, “Sometimes I think we forget how much it takes to parent a disabled child.” Managing his money, vocational schooling, transportation, personal hygiene, recreation, clothing purchases, medication, etc… it all takes time, and emotional energy. This morning’s challenges were mostly clothing related. It’s near impossible to find jeans [...]
obliviousness
Bizarre afternoon. First I get a call from someone who called just to slam another person. Immediately sensing where things were headed I said, “Listen, if you’re calling to talk negatively about so-and-so, then I don’t want to have this conversation. This kind of stuff happens in churches way too much, and I don’t want to be a [...]
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