Welcome Back!
So here we are once again with some new and exciting events on the horizon. My book is gradually gaining media attention and has earned two awards for excellence. The first is the Mom’s Choice Award which honors all types of family centered products and media. There is quite an extensive evaluation process involved but if your product meets their standards, you receive their endorsement. Mom’s Place 4 Grace was awarded with a Gold medal!!! Shortly thereafter, the book was also named a Third Place Award winner in the Parenting category at the Bookfest Awards. Bookfest is a literary award honoring excellence in all genres of independent book publishing. Being honored in the Parenting category is no small accomplishment so I am truly grateful and blessed.
If you are here, you are seeing a whole new look to our website and several different options for group membership. To get the most out of Mom’s Place 4 Grace, I am asking a nominal membership fee for a 1 year membership. Just $12.95 per year. If you prefer, the monthly membership gives you the same great content for just .99 cents per month. In the interests of transparency, I want all of you to know that I am asking for this small fee simply to defray the costs of running the website, which is why I am keeping the cost very low. Thank you, in advance, for supporting this decision. I will still offer free content but it will not be as frequent.
Plus, to get the word out there, I also have products with my newly developed logo for sale on the website. I am excited to bring these products to you so I will also be offering an entry to win free products for those who purchase a paid membership within the next 30 days.
I am also looking forward to offering some zoom support groups to paid members. More details on this will be coming in the next several weeks. I am sure that we have an exciting journey ahead of us at Mom’s Place 4 Grace and you won’t want to miss any of it!!!!
Progress is Scary
So, I don’t think there is a better way to say it – progress is scary. Truthfully, while I have been super excited about getting this website up and rolling, the other day I realized, I have to get this website up and rolling. And now, it’s here. It’s a little more scary this time because it is a lot more now than just a hobby for me. I have gotten tremendously positive feedback on my book and my blog. In the beginning, when this started one year ago, it was really no more than a vision. I had hopes and dreams of where it could go but really knew nothing about how to make it happen. Things are starting to happen. Most of the time, it puts a huge smile on my face to know that I am making an impact. But every once in a while I stop to think, who am I to make an impact? What do I really have to offer?
The answer: I have a valuable perspective and a ton of knowledge to share. I don’t always get it right. No one always has it ALL together every moment of the day. But, when I don’t have it together or I’m not feeling like the “expert” I have a circle of support who can bring me back to the reality which we all need to know – we are doing the best we can during the difficult moments and we soar with the eagles through the easier moments. Lately, I’ve had some of both.
Soaring High, Flying Low
Picture yourself in a small plane. You are just reaching cruising altitude and you can see the beauty for miles around you. Out of nowhere, you come upon an intense storm. If you stay where you are, you fly through the turbulence getting bounced around. A bumpy ride for sure. Alternatively, you can climb above the storm and rise to smooth air. Getting out of the storm isn’t easy. It takes much work for your small plane to rise above it. But once you have plotted the course out of the storm, you can feel the pressure easing off and see the clear path ahead. Soon, you are soaring with ease. You fly higher than the highest mountain but soon, you have to return to the ground. In order to land, you must fly through the storm again. On the way down, the turbulence is even more severe. You find yourself asking God – how am I ever going to get through this? And then suddenly, the air clears, the runway is in front of you waiting for you to land. As the wheels touch the pavement, you let out that sigh of relief. The one that allows you to rest, renew and relax until you have to do it all again.
This is how it feels to parent a special needs child. Maybe not all special needs children- but many for sure and my special needs child, absolutely. So how do we navigate these times without getting overwhelmed? Let’s talk about GRACE.
“G” is for Growth? or is it?
When Mom’s Place 4 Grace was first conceived, “G” was for growth. It’s essential for us as parents to see growth not just in our children but within ourselves. There is an old saying, “if do do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” If your child is not growing and moving forward and if your relationship with your child is always strained, something has to change. As parents, we have to change. Sometimes, when dealing with a special needs child, we have to change our entire concept of parenting. In fact, we may find ourselves doing things we swore we never would. Self-reflection becomes a big part of the “growth” concept because we have to constantly reevaluate how things are going and if we need to do something differently.
So here we are, one year from when this whole concept of GRACE first came to me, and I find myself thinking that there is more to that G than growth. Maybe what G really stands for, is gratitude. I think those two concepts sort of work hand in hand. When we see growth or experience growth, it is natural to be grateful. But, in many situations, learning to express gratitude, can lead to growth. Sort of like the chicken or the egg question: which comes first? Maybe they both come at the same time or maybe they work together. They could likely be building blocks for each other.
The best way I can illustrate this concept for you is to tell you about my recent experience with my son at acupuncture. I didn’t have a babysitter one day so I had to take him with me for my appointment. Anyone who knows my child, already knows that he does not do well entertaining himself. I am very blessed because the wonderful team at Pellegrino Healing Center makes him feel so very welcome whenever I have brought him there. I explained the rules to him and told him that he could go in and out of the room but that he had to be quiet and behave. The child was a model citizen. He followed my directions, followed their directions and he was even helpful during my treatment. He waited patiently when he needed to and he truly demonstrated the type of self-control which I wish I could see every day. That was tremendous growth for my son but also for me. It took everything in me to allow him to come with me and to trust that it would all work out. Things could have gone horribly wrong. So, here I am doing something I thought I would never do and it worked out exactly how I needed it to. Is there gratitude in that? Absolutely. How can I not show gratitude? I’m grateful to the staff at Pellegrino, grateful to my son, grateful to God. But the very best thing? My son is afraid of needles. After the acupuncturist left the room, he noticed that she left a rather large needle behind my knee. I tried to encourage him to go get her but he said, “I’ve got this, Mom.” He took the needle out himself and put it in the tray with the used needles.
Growth and gratitude working hand in hand to bring us GRACE.
