Stacey Sumereau

02/04/2026

Surgery #8 for our brave girl today. Please pray for her! No matter how many times I see her come through, theres always a knot in my stomach.

I reflected as I nursed the baby in the middle of the night that, while we may get the most sympathy on surgery days, the hard days feel like…well, most days.

I’ve struggled to broach this topic because I don’t want to be perceived as a complainer. Many people won’t get it because they’re not living it. But I hope those who read this will approach with a listening heart.

Special needs parenting means overwhelming amounts of tasks: speech, occupational and physical therapy appointments. Never-ending phone calls. Appointments at all NINE specialist offices (I counted before I wrote this!), keeping authorizations current, letters of medical necessity, medical supplies ordered, nurse and insurance assessments, IEP meetings, orthotic fittings… it’s more than a full-time job.

That’s in addition to 6 G-tube feedings a day, sleep issues, and balance issues which make adequate rest impossible and getting around difficult and time-consuming. And then the odd surgery, or 8.

Taken separately, it’s not too bad. Taken together, five years of this has left me so, so weary.

I share this because I had no idea- NO IDEA- before I became a special needs parent, what this journey would be like. If someone had tried to tell me, I would’ve glibly thought “why is she complaining about making a few phone calls? It’s not that hard.”
I see people’s eyes glaze over when I try to explain, and honestly, I get it cos I used to be the same way. It’s like I’m speaking a different language. And it’s isolating.

I love my girl so much I’d do it all again. She always amazes me with her strength. She’s taught me so much about love.

If you know a special needs parent, give them a hug. They may be dealing with things they’re struggling to give a voice to. So many people have supported me in the past here, and I’m more grateful than you know. 💕

If you want to leave a comment below for Nora, I’ll read them all to her later when she’s awake and she’ll be thrilled.

01/19/2026

Welcome to the world, Gabe the Babe! I never planned to step back for so long. I just kept feeling exhausted. TBH I didn’t feel the least bit inspiring, or sane, or myself, in 2025. I had to ride the wave of exhaustion, pregnancy, and sleep deprivation. But I learned who I am without receiving attention on social media, and it was incredibly valuable. And I’ve missed my ministry here SO much!
Bottom line: We are so infinitely loved by God, and in hard seasons he’s still loving us. If I invest even 5 minutes a day listening to his voice, he makes everything go so much smoother than if I’d scrambled around trying to arrange it. Highly recommend praying FIRST when the to do list gets overwhelming (and btw I didn’t learn this by doing it well 😜)

05/13/2025

No, she didn’t break her leg. Nora got Botox. Not even kidding ya! I took my 4-year-old for Botox shots in her right calf and something called serial casting. Botox in her right calf helps relax muscles that are perpetually tight from her cerebral palsy and cause her to limp. (It’s like having a nonstop calf cramp 🙁)
The cast is to seriously stretch those lil muscles and give her the ability to walk with a heel-toe pattern instead of perpetually walking on only her right toes. Every week she’ll get a new cast to stretch the muscles further. She was so brave and patient and didn’t even cry at the 4 injections. Lots of snuggles and bubbles afterward. I’m so proud of her.
A mom friend who’s in the thick of NICU stress and surgeries asked me, “will life ever feel normal again?” I had to really reflect on that, and my honest answer is no. Special needs parenting is getting on an elevator that whisks you up 10 stories higher to dependence on God and surrender of all your expectations (my book “Adventure Awaits,” is aptly named!) It’s a dizzying transition that takes years of grief and adjustment. If you’d told me five years ago that my entire day would consist of driving 3 hrs to get to a 2.5-hr series of doctor appointments: not once, but weekly, I wouldn’t have thought I could live that way without hating my life! It’s amazing what love can motivate you to do though. And then one day you look back and realize the person you are now is better. More tired, to be sure, but also more compassionate, more patient, and more resilient. And you wouldn’t trade the person you are now for who you were then.
Believe me, friend, I’ve been through plenty of days where I’ve fallen prey to the mental spirals accompanying thoughts that life is handing me one load of 💩 after another. But even those spirals can be redeemed in time (becoming a mindset coach helps too lol.)
Today, driving through traffic in near-flooding rain, I had the thought, “I get to love Nora in a big way today.” And that made me feel grateful, not resentful.
And that’s a better “normal” than Stacey 5 years ago who only knew how to avoid suffering.

03/25/2025

My book, “Adventure Awaits: How to Interpret Your Desires and Hear God’s Voice, releases THIS FRIDAY with Ave Maria Press and is available for preorder through the link in my bio NOW! Despite a rough rough year of sickness, pregnancy, and moving houses, I’ve poured my heart into this work because I believe with all my soul that God will make your life an incredible work of art when you surrender. Better than you could have dreamed up yourself ❤️
Put it all in his hands, especially the things you most want to keep for yourself, and watch the blessings flow.

02/18/2025

“God is a good Father, so I can use my relationship with my earthly dad, who’s also a good father, as a blueprint for communication with God. I asked my dad, ‘Do you think I should marry John?’
My dad didn’t say, ‘I’m going to send you a sign, but I won’t tell you what the sign will be or when I’ll send it.’ Nor did he say, ‘You have to marry John or you’re out of my will.’ Those answers would’ve been ridiculous! Instead, my dad aided me in making a wise decision. He said, ‘tell me about different aspects of your relationship, and let’s see if you and John are where you need to be to take the next step.’ When I had questions about how he and my mom knew they were called to marriage, he shared his stories and the wisdom he’s leaned over the years. Ultimately, he left the decision up to me.
God treats us the way a good father treats his children. While I was upset at a lack of a definitive answer, God was parenting me the best way by letting me decide for myself.
Sometimes the desire for a sign belies the wrong disposition of heart. While asking for a sign may feel like good discipleship, it can easily lead us to place the importance of for an answer to satisfy a desire for safety above our relationship with God himself.
God speaks almost exclusively to me about my relationship with him, not ‘the plan’ for my life. It makes sense, since God is not a to-do list. God is love.”
-Excerpted from my upcoming book with Ave Maria Press, “Adventure Awaits: How to Interpret Your Desires and Hear God’s Voice” available for preorder NOW!

https://www.avemariapress.com/products/adventure-awaits

01/07/2025

Starting off 2025 infinitely grateful to God for all the blessings by last year + looking forward to a big one coming soon: MY BOOK! 📖
Somebody pinch me: “Adventure Awaits: How to Interpret Your Desires and Hear God’s Voice” is coming April 4 and is available for preorder NOW at Ave Maria Press (link in bio!)
This book has been on my heart for six years. It’s the book I wish I’d read straight out of college. This book is for you if you:
⛰️have big dreams but don’t know how to begin moving toward them
⛰️want to find your “big thing,” your mission, but worry you haven’t got what it takes
⛰️have lots of interests and don’t know yet how they could all work together
⛰️want to be a saint, but also struggle to trust God with your desires
⛰️want your prayer to be more than just talking inside your head: You’re ready to HEAR and SEE God working!
God wants SUCH GOOD THINGS for you, my friend! He can be trusted! When I don’t trust him and start striking out on my own, THAT’S when things really get messy. I end up depressed, anxious, and unmotivated. I compare myself to other people and I feel dissatisfied with what I have.
But when I keep my eyes fixed on him, he brings me the opportunities he wants for me AND he gives me peace. Every day I have to renew this surrender. I have to strengthen my mind against the designs of the devil and resist his sneaky voice trying to drag me away from God’s plan for me. It’s truly HIS adventure.
What’s extra beautiful is that this book came to be in the middle of an extremely busy season of building a house and moving- not the year I would have chosen- but it happened precisely BECAUSE I surrendered my plans to him and let his timing happen. (I’ll tell that story soon!) God planted the desire to write in my heart six years ago not to frustrate it but to fulfill it, in HIS perfect timing.
Fancy book algorithms love preorders, so it would MAKE MY DAY if you choose to jump on that preorder wagon today!
Thank you to my sister .grace.hicks for this photo in the woods on our new homestead.

09/24/2024

A pivot, but still the same ministry ☕☕☕☕
As you may know, my husband and I bought 5 acres and built a house this year! We just moved in 2 months ago and I have a million trillion DIY's ahead of me (because, budget.) Since this is consuming much of my time at the moment, I thought you might like to come along for the journey as we make this new house feel like something out of a storybook and function like a dream.
While you're here, I invite you in for a cup o' coffee and thoughts on coming through a season of desolation with hope. Sometimes suffering is deep and hidden, and I'm getting real with what's been going on with me lately. I hope you enjoy!

Your support means so much to me- please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE! And please let me know in the comments below what you'd like to see in future episodes!Fi...

12/25/2023

Merry Christmas! 🎄
Love comes to us as a tiny baby today. Not demanding, not in a blaze of glory, but in the humblest way. He risks us being too busy to see him. He wanted it this way to honor our free will. He wants us to choose him sincerely and freely.
Today we are invited to pause the busyness to notice and observe Love in all his vulnerability. To respond to his beauty and grace with vulnerability as he’s already done for us.
Wishing you a merry, peaceful and thoroughly joyful Christmas season!!!

05/02/2023

Thank you so much for tuning in! Do you feel like you're stuck in a rut? Can't get out of the same old bad habits (and you're sick of thinking about how you can't just kick them once and for all?) My good friend Dr. Andrew Whitmore will spell out strategies from his new book that are sure to give yo...