Back in the Groove

In my last homeschooling update, I noted that Reagan was less than motivated to return to our regular homeschooling routine after an entire summer off. I’m happy to report that she is back in the groove of things. Reagan wakes each day excited to begin the day and her usual schooling routine.

Speaking of grooves, it is a well-known fact that people with Down syndrome thrive with something called ‘the groove.’

From Down Syndrome: Visions for the 21st Century, edited by Cohen, Nadel and Madnick, p. 228

"A groove is simply defined as a set pattern or routine in one’s actions or thoughts. In the general population, this tendency may be considered obsessive-compulsive disorder but in the individual with Down syndrome (Ds), it provides them with structure and order. The groove allows people with processing disorders (common in Ds) to have more control over their lives."

When I first discovered the presence and importance of grooves in my research about people with Down syndrome, I noted the fine art of the groove in my daughter’s life. The groove allows her and her very set routine to accomplish the activities of daily living, her school work and recreational time in a set order where she doesn’t have to think about it.

The groove is so common in individuals with Ds that a book, Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome: A Guide to Emotional and Behavioral Strengths and Challenges by Dennis McGuire and Brian Chicoine, has devoted a whole chapter to these characteristic behaviors. Do not wait until your child is older to get this very important book. It speaks to many issues common to children/teens/adults with Ds, such as challenging behaviors, autism, self-talk, memory issues and much more.

How Fitting in My Melancholy State

A new release by Steven Curtis Chapman - Heaven Is The Face



H/T Barbara Curtis at Mommy Life. Feel free to stop by Barbara's blog to hear how this song came to Mr. Chapman after the tragic accident which took his daughter's life last year.

Grief in the Shadows

This time of year brings on a familiar sensation. Since the loss of my oldest daughter, the crisp, cooler weather which signifies the arrival of fall brings with it a veil which slips over my heart and mind. Life takes blunted tones – lacking the meaning and joy that generally fills my days.

The veil is commonly known as shadow grief. The experts consider it normal after the loss of a child. It can have many triggers but is usually associated with the birthday or anniversary of the day which the child passes on. Fleeting episodes will be with me for the rest of my days on this earthly journey.

Some years I don’t see it coming, but unconsciously it creeps in and slowly comes to my awareness. It comes with extreme fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating and general loss of interest in daily activities. It is no longer associated with acute pain but only occasional tearfulness.

In some strange way, I find comfort in it because I know Michelle is on the other side of the veil that separates us waiting for me. Waiting for the last day when we will all rise in glory and live in heaven for all eternity.

For you see, I believe in the promise that Jesus Christ made. The promise of eternal life for all who believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Until then, I know the veil will soon be lifted and I will live fully and joyfully in that promise and my hope in Him. The veil serves only to remind me of that precious love between and mother and her child and that our separation is only temporary.

With a grateful heart - for her life and the love we shared, I sit in the shadow of the foot of the cross and pray that all I do and say will glorify Him...

Down Syndrome Awareness

Isn't this too cute?



Get yours by clicking on the image!

H/T Barbara Curtis at MommyLife. She also has a cute Down Syndrome Creed on the same page but I'll have to edit the color - wrong green for my blog :-)

Touchstone, A Journal of Mere Christianity

Over the years, we have received many religious publications by mail. I must say Touchstone, A Journal of Mere Christianity is the best religious journal I have encountered. It comes as a graduation gift from hubby's seminary. The content is meaty, insightful and thought-provoking - from an orthodox viewpoint.

From the inside cover:

"Touchstone is a Christian journal, conservative in doctrine and eclectic in content, with editors and readers from each of the three great divisions of Christendom — Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox. The mission of the journal and its publisher, The Fellowship of St. James, is to provide a place where Christians of various backgrounds can speak with one another on the basis of shared belief in the fundamental doctrines of the faith as revealed in Holy Scripture and summarized in the ancient creeds of the Church."

This month Touchstone had two articles written by homeschooling fathers. Education Normal by Mark T. Mitchell on "the oddity of giving children a moral imagination."

The other article, Except the Lord Build by Anthony Esolen, is the commencement address given by Dr. Esolen to the Rhode Island Christian Home Educators in 2007. As I am looking all to soon send my homeschool graduate off to college, Dr. Esolen's words offer comfort to me.

"For through your labor, and perfecting your labor, the Lord has built the home. Maybe sometimes your T-square had a ding in it, or your level had a bump, or you troweled the mortar on too thin. I am sure that your daughters can think of many incidents to prove that their teachers were indeed human. But I am sure also that on this night they are filled with gratitude, and will not recall those times. Yet those times, too, have been redeemed. If your hand was shaking as it settled in place the next stone of wisdom and understanding, still it was the Lord who guided your hand, and his was the work."

Touchstone also has a blog for those who might be interested - Mere Comments

Check it out - this is one gift subscription we will be renewing!

The Absent Blogger

That would be me! Life has been so very busy that I have little time to sit and write which saddens me but sometimes life just gets in the way!

We have finally started back to school. This is the first summer I have taken off in as long as I can remember. I usually school Reagan (14 y.o. with Down syndrome) year-round. Year-round schooling has helped her dramatically with retention of skills/concepts. This past summer I could just not keep up with much of anything let alone summer schooling with hubby's ordination and the flow of family in and out of our home.

I have to say that I was quite pleased to see very little loss of skills/concepts as a result of our long summer break! I have to admit Reagan is not very motivated to return to our school routine. I'm sure adolescent hormones are a huge factor in her lack of motivation. Hopefully, as we get back to a full schedule, it will once again be just what we do every day. I'd forgotten just how hard it can be to go from summer fun and relaxation to a structured school day as a homeschooling parent. I have reverted back to the time when I did take summers off and slowly introduce each subject back into our day until we are up to full speed.

Kiera (17 y.o) finished her high school course work this past May and will do her senior year of high school at our local community college. So far, she is quite happy with her classes and schedule and is thriving in the classroom setting. It seems to me that homeschooling enabled this child to excel in the classroom with confidence in what she knows, how to display it well in the classroom setting -- with her love for learning intact. The only difficulty she has faced is the perceived apathy she sees in her peers - many just going through the motions on their post high school journey.

We are awaiting the results of her ACT exam scores to begin a serious college search. She tested quite well in the pretests so is not very anxious about the results. This fall we will visit a few schools but she is pretty sure about where she wants to go and they seem anxious to have her!

I'm trying hard to remember every minute enjoy these final months with Kiera at home before she goes off to college. I thought I would feel some relief when she was done with her home education and the dramatic reduction in my work load but I only feel the upcoming loss as she looks toward going off to college. Oh, I'm doing and saying all the right things - I know it is almost time for her to spread her wings and fly. I know I'm not really losing her but things are changing. I just didn't know how difficult this would be. I do my best to focus on what exciting things God has planned for her future but those feelings of impending loss filter in. All I can do is try give them over to the Lord. We can do this together!

Ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests

I really did not know what to expect while awaiting hubby's ordination to the priesthood. I had attended many ordinations - all quite moving but to see one's husband ordained was a totally different experience.

As I entered the church to find hubby with others gathered around him in prayer:














It was quite apparent to me that the Holy Spirit was powerfully present. I was so moved that I really didn't think I could remain functional for the next 2 hours. But, of course, I did with God's help.


















Smells and bells abound.













Fully priested.


It was a glorious day surrounded by the Holy Spirit, family and friends. Now on to do God's work for His Holy Church!

What a Busy Summer...

Now that our guests have all gone home after hubby's ordination, I hope to catch up with my blogging. The summer is flying by and it has been packed with once in a life time events.

I've hardly seen Kiera this summer. Between social activities, babysitting (her summer job), Happening, Church Camp, St. Michael's Conference, and the ACNA Asssembly I only get bits and pieces of time with her. She has made lots of memories this summer!

Here are a few pictures of Kiera with some old and new friends at the ACNA Assembly:














She's been invited to Kenya to visit Archbishop and Mrs. Nzimbi.














Here she is with Archbishop Robert Duncan of the ACNA.















And with an old, dear friend, Bishop Ackerman, retired Bishop of Quincy.

Her days were filled with duties as the youth delegate from our diocese. Evenings were filled with worship and fun with the youth attending the Assembly.

These are very exciting times - filled with hope for our young orthodox Anglicans. I hope and pray for my children (and future grandchildren) a place to worship, safe from the rampant heresy and secular humanism found in the post-modern culture that exists today. Kiera has had the opportunity to be a part of history in the making as the Anglican Church in North America seeks its place in the world-wide Anglican Communion. What a bright future awaits her and all those young people she met at the Assembly...young people who are on fire for the Lord and seek to bring others to Christ!

5 Minutes for Mom

What an honor!



Read the interview here!

Church Camp '09

Was an amazing experience!















Church camp has become a place where Reagan is supported and loved for who she is - unrelated to her enhanced genetic material.

We were blessed with bright sunny days filled with all the usual camp activities and cool summer evenings - perfect for campfire chats with prayer time and roasting marshmallows. Campers and counselors were vying for Reagan's attention to the point where I was told on more than one occasion "you have her all the time, its my turn." How my heart did soar to know that she is so loved, valued and respected!















Reagan was given a great honor this year at camp. Each year 2 children are chosen based on their Christian leadership and behavior to carry a wooden cross to lead the camp session into the final Mass. Reagan was chosen to lead the group this year - a mark of how she loves and lives her life in Christ. Down syndrome comes with many gifts, most notably unconditional love and a deeply caring heart. If only the rest of the world would take the time to look beyond her appearance and appreciate her gifts...

Please take the time to read this essay by Dennis McGuire, Ph.D., If People with Down Syndrome Ruled the World - an inspirational look into life and people with Down syndrome. What a wonderful world it would be and its all mine!