Immeasurably More

More Hope, More Joy . . . Embracing Life with Down Syndrome

Take Time To Praise October 30, 2013

Filed under: Down syndrome,Prayer,Special Needs — Linda Aalderink @ 6:48 pm

CS Lewis

“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” C.S. Lewis

We all have them. Days when we feel far from God, or He feels far from us. Days when we worry and angst over what tomorrow will bring, especially when we can barely get through the day we are in. Even with grown children, and our special needs son is 27, there are just some fears and concerns that continue to arise, some are new, while other fears have always been there. I think for special needs parents, the uncertainty of the future, our child’s future, is a fear that continues to rise to the surface in us. It certainly does in me.

So what’s a parent to do? I think the answer is in the C.S. Lewis quote – remain near to God. For me, taking time to praise God for who He is has been vital, because when I focus on who He is, I am reminded of how great, awesome and trustworthy He is.  I am reminded of the character traits He exemplifies, and He always has been and always will be firmly in control and aware of my situation. He is the same – yesterday, today and forever.

So here are a few ideas to get your praises going.  I use these to refocus my thoughts and fix my eyes on Jesus:

  • A list of “go to” Psalms for praising God: Psalms 8, 34, 92, 95, 96, 100. Just pick one today.
  • Pick one attribute or character quality of God to focus on: God is faithful, friend, provider, helper, protector, worthy, etc. I use Biblegateway.com and find it helpful for doing a search on an attribute of God. There is also a great list on the Moms In Prayer International website. http://tinyurl.com/ofyby2e
  • Choose a good worship CD and push “repeat.” Let the words soak into your heart and mind. And turn up the volume!  Currently, my favorite CD is Chris Tomlin’s Burning Lights. The whole CD is amazing worship, but if you have time for only one song, listen to the song “Sovereign.” Oh, my! I love this! Click here to watch and listen: http://tinyurl.com/k5rep9w 
  • As much as I may try to find peace and happiness on my own, it cannot be done apart from Jesus. Take 5 minutes today and focus on the One who holds us and our precious children in His everlasting arms.

“You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” Psalm 59:17

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And So It Begins October 15, 2012

Filed under: Down syndrome,Special Needs — Linda Aalderink @ 2:24 am

The real books are finished! No more edits, checking and re-checking. This work that tested my perseverance and caused me to doubt whether I could ever finish, is now a real book. God you are faithful!

In many ways it’s comparable to giving birth. For months and months, well actually years, this work has been in process. First the stirring God put in my heart to share our story with the hope of encouraging  other families similar to ours.  Through these years, I continued to read about “advances” in medical technology which is resulting in a blood test for pregnant women to give a definitive diagnosis of whether or not the baby she is carrying has an extra chromosome. Currently, 90% of these definitive diagnoses end tragically for the baby.

My motivation and direction was clear, yet I didn’t know anything about writing a book.  But I pressed on, attending writing and publishing conferences, reading books, and following other writers’ blogs. I learned everything I could, and all the while God continued to lead and fling open doors that I never dreamed would open. One step at a time.

So this weekend, the birth! I cried when I held the first real book. All our kids were home this weekend and that made every moment so much sweeter!

Now, comes caring for that newborn! More learning ahead! Selling books to family and friends, book signings, social media, and getting the book into the hands of all those families who face difficult choices, uncertain days, and futures that may not look like anything they had in mind. One step at a time.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me.  If you are the parent of a child with a special need,  I would love to hear your story.

Meanwhile, my prayer is that Immeasurably More will give encouragement, hope and a few smiles along the way.

So glad labor and delivery are over! More info coming soon on where to buy books.

Still taking one step at a time,

Linda