A time to pause..

I wouldn’t coax the plant if I were you.
Such watchful nurturing may do it harm.
Let the soil rest from so much digging
And wait until it’s dry before you water it.
The leaf’s inclined to find its own direction;
Give it a chance to seek the sunlight for itself.

Much growth is stunted by too much prodding,
Too eager tenderness.
The things we love we have to learn to leave alone.

A poem by:Naomi Long Madgett

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There are moments along this medically fragile journey, which are difficult to endure.

The daily struggles of your child from the moment they wake. Trying to manage a body that is unable to work unless you are there to guide it. A body that is unable to be kept safe, unless you are close to protect it. A voice that is unable to express, unless you can try to intuit it. A longing for a miraculous healing so that they no longer suffer.

Sometimes, in the journey of healing, we need to take a step back. We need to trust that there is a divine purpose to which everything is orchestrated. Even the times of challenge, they are put here in such precision that we must learn to sit with it, feel it, live it.

A time for a special needs parent to provide some space, some trust and some faith to everything that is held so close. To take a breath in between endless longing, therapies, research, appointments and fear. So that we allow life to guide us forward, with grace and humility.. should we soften and slow down to listen…..