08/18/2026
Being a mom of a child with special needs today means watching my friends’ children grow up and celebrate all the “senior” moments.
See Grace is in 12th grade this year. But her experience looks very different. She is in a self-contained special education classroom, and there won’t be a traditional graduation where she walks across the stage or a graduation party. She will continue attending school for a few more years.
I genuinely celebrate with my friends as their children reach these milestones. But there is also a quiet grief in knowing that things look very different for us.
Sometimes these moments sneak up on me. The dream was broken years ago with a diagnosis, but sometimes the grief feels fresh all over again. These are the moments that can be hard to share because, unless you live this life, you may not even realize they are happening.
Watching the number of candles change but my child doesn’t “grow up “ in the same way is hard.
These are the quiet moments of holding gratitude and grief at the same time.
I am grateful for her life.
I grieve the broken dreams.
And yet, Grace has taught me more about God’s grace than anything else in my life. Through her, I understand in a deeper way what God meant when He said, “My grace is sufficient for you.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9
There is grief here.
There is joy here.
And somehow, God’s grace in the middle of it all. 🤍