It is pouring rain…again. The thunder rumbles in the distance, and we have altered our plans once again. Yesterday we got .89" of rain. As I drove during errands today, I kept glancing up at those towering cumulus clouds growing in the sky with pockets of blue trying to peak through. This is unlike any summer I have ever experienced, to have rain nearly every day. As I went from place to place, the common topic was the rain! Hard to imagine a few months ago I prayed desperately for an end to our drought! On the bright side, this is the greenest and coolest summer I have ever experienced. As with my life, I know God wants us to look on the bright side of things.

When my son was 1 and my daughter was 3, we were experiencing dismal showers in our lives. Quirky things were happening for which we couldn’t account. DD was overly sensitive to a variety of situations and had speech and motor delays, yet was extremely sweet and otherwise content. DS had little interest in eating and was losing weight. Nevertheless he had a zest for life and a constant smile on his face. However the lack of weight gain concerned the docs and we were filling our calendar with numerous trips to see specialists. Finally the verdict, Sensory Integration Disorder. We had a wonderful occupational therapist who helped us bridge the gaps in their sensory processing systems. Nevertheless, she didn’t give me a lot of hope for the future, except that they would always have gaps and struggle in various areas. If I mention any of this, most look at me strangely or deny that it even exists. I have had a bit of support from various individuals, but I guess the negative influences have outweighed the support network. As a result, I have hidden many emotions in my heart.

Recently I came across a book that looked like a gold mine of information. The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder. I started reading it and I surprised myself by breaking into tears because I felt like I had found a kindred spirit in the author. I glanced through the book and saw Harrison Ford mentioned. Why? Well he made the movie "Regarding Henry". It’s about a heartless lawyer who wins cases at the expense of the victim and has alienated himself from his family. He gets shot in the head. As a result of the brain injury, he has a personality change and operates more on the level of a child. He struggles with learning yet it is heartwarming how he forms a new relationship with his young daughter who helps him. My heart goes out to movies like this. I have always warmed up to books about those who struggle, like Horton Hears a Who. My son was a preemie and on the NICU was the classic line from the book, "A person is a person no matter how small." When my children were little, their favorite movie was "Dumbo the Flying Elephant". I don’t know how they could watch that. My heart would break for him every time.

Thankfully, with the rain came blessings. My children are high functioning and so have been released from special needs therapies. The Lord keeps bringing great books to supplement proven methods that help my kids get through hurdles in their lives. I appreciate this latest book, because it has tips for toddlers to adults. That is terrific, because our OT only had stuff for the younger ages. I’ve learned how to adapt many situations, but it is great to have more good information at my fingertips. The rain outside has stopped and the sun is trying to make an appearance. Our greatest blessings come from God Himself, who proves Himself to be true, every day, no matter the weather in our lives. Showers of blessings from His hand sustain us in our every need.