SHEILA BOUCHARD

SISTER – MOTHER – GRANDMOTHER

As I thought about this week’s blog, remembering has been at the forefront of my mind. Why, you ask? LOL – I’m so glad you asked!

Remembering can sometimes be a thing that’s not so good. Sometimes, it keeps people stuck in the past, right? Yes, that’s not why I want to remember. For today’s blog, I want to think of remembering as a good thing that reminds me that if God has brought me through something in the past, He will get me through it again. It may not look the same, but He is faithful, and if He has done it before, you and I can trust that He will do it again.

This past week has made me remember. Reminding me that I have never known a life without special needs. Though I might kick and scream sometimes, and sometimes maybe even feel cheated. I am also reminded of how blessed I am.

I am blessed that I am a sister of someone with special needs. Back in the day, they did not label diagnoses like they do today. All I know is my middle brother had a bout with polio, and there were complications. They referred to him as mentally retarded. Sometimes, I forgot the challenges my mom had or the times she would shield me from my brother’s aggression. Although he went to a special school for a season and a special workshop as a young adult, he eventually landed a job in a company mailroom for twenty-five years. He has lived in an apartment on his own for many years. Not that it has been free of issues, because it hasn’t, but Thank God for my older sister and a brother-in-law who assist with finances and medical things. As an adult, I am blessed with his daily phone calls to keep me abreast of his daily happenings. 😊

Not only am I a sister, but I am a mother who birthed four children, two with special needs, plus gained a daughter from another mother. My oldest birth daughter, Jessica, 42, has Prader-Willi Syndrome, and my youngest son, Sam, 32, has non-verbal autism (although we are trying to get him to use his voice and his communication device).

This past week has had me R–E–M–E–M–B–E–R–I-N–G!

As I have begun to follow a couple of new bloggers with children with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) – I am reminded of all Jessica has come through. Of a diagnosis that seemed so grim when she was born, 1 of 600 known cases back then with a life expectancy of maybe 35 – to see her fulfilling a fantastic life! Holding on to the promise of the blind man from John 9 in the Bible and what God spoke to my heart, over what the world and the doctors spoke over her life. That was not to say we didn’t have trying times, like her not walking until she was 2 ½, but as I remembered what God spoke and declared that, I saw breakthroughs.

Ten years after Jessica was born and three children more, my baby Sam being diagnosed with autism felt like a life sentence. This past week in church, he shouted loudly as the atmosphere became thick with concern about what was happening in Israel. It reminded me of a younger day with him.

There was a time when my husband worked long, crazy hours, and I felt very isolated and alone with my four kiddos. At the time, our church had a midweek service, and I felt like I needed to be with people and be refreshed. This one night in particular, I remember digging my heels in the ground, so to speak, and thinking I would go, even if I had to bring Sam along, as I had no one to leave him with. It had been a tough time where Sam would stand up and shout out loudly, much like this past Sunday. One of those times as a parent you want to crawl under the seat and disappear, lol.

Can I tell you all how grateful I am for my pastor? He could have said, “Ushers, please escort them out.” He could have done many things but didn’t. He did say something like, “O.K. Sam,” and acknowledged to the people who Sam was and what we were contending for, with love and mercy, and continued.

Fast forward many years of victories, failures, and breakthroughs. Well, these past few weeks were challenging for Sam, and here we were again. As the pastor spoke, Sam, a feeler, is very sensitive when emotions/tensions are involved, and out comes this loud yell. (the type of yell that made people once in Walmart wonder if they should take cover in all the world’s madness today…yes, Scottie, beam me up…sigh). But seriously, the pastor, just as graciously as in years gone by, let everyone know that that was Sam, and we believe for a breakthrough. As embarrassed as I was, I was filled with love because I knew we were surrounded by people who loved Sam and were praying for him.

I was reminded of how God delivered Sam from that season, which I share the miracle of it in my book. I know that if God did it before, He will do it again. I hold onto that! It may look a little different, but I can have hope it will come!

So…not only am I a sister and a mom, but I have a grandson who is sixteen and has non-verbal autism, too. My son’s stories have helped us have hope for my grandson as he went through the potty-training stages and other times along the way.

When I began my journey with special needs as a parent, I would read books of others who had gone through it to give me hope. If you are new to this journey, remember the small victories and know more will come. If life brings setbacks, regardless of where we are, hold out hope and begin believing that the impossibilities are possible!  – Love ya and look forward to getting to know you on this journey!

Psalms 77:11-12 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. (12) I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”