Author: Christie Taylor

RISE UP THURSDAY!
It’s when Life grabs us with the unexpected that we start paying attention to the lessons Life has to share.

RISE UP WEDNESDAY!
The simplest tasks can created into vibrant, colorful moments.

RISE UP TUESDAY!

The obstacles are always easy to see. And many will quickly point them out. It takes courage to jump forward in faith when you can’t clearly see where you will land. But I promise you this: Wherever you land, it will give you that much more strength to take the next jump.

RISE UP MONDAY!

Celebrate a simple moment, and it will grow into something big.

It is no surprise I have chosen long distance running while raising a child with special needs. They both correlate in that there are extended moments of forward steps with quiet open fields around you. No one is cheering. No one is offering any promises. You just keep on going. Believing. Settling in to the forward motion full of nothing but pure faith.

Pushing, yet reserved. Pacing, patiently watching one mile pass after the other. Progress, one step at a time. Steps you can never truly explain to anyone else. They live in a quiet place inside you. A place of deep-seated love, emotion and motivation to keep going. No matter what.

Your pace, your journey is purely internal and personal. A place that no matter where the road leads, the finish line is a victory. This is a journey I did not choose, but was chosen for me. A journey that now I would never, ever give up for a thousand easy promises.

RISE UP FRIDAY!

Because Friday mornings deserve a dance party in your slippers.

Yesterday the kids and I were at Barnes & Noble. Katherine and Elizabeth were browsing books and I was sitting on a little kiddie stool next to Wil as he played with the train table. A woman with a lovely English accent approached the train table with her granddaughter who was about 3 years old. The woman said, “Hi” to Wil and walked around the train table and sat down on the stool next to me, while her granddaughter joined Wil. The woman and I smiled at one another, and sat silently for awhile. It was a comfortable silence, both of us enjoying the interaction between the two new friends.
It was all very casual, so “normal.” But that is not my typical with strangers. Its very common that people go out of their way to be friendly to Wil, or I’m asked if Wil has Down syndrome and then they share their experiences with someone they know who has Down syndrome. I enjoy this forthcoming friendliness, and also how an extra chromosome has the power to create bonds between strangers.
And yet yesterday, I found it so refreshing to enjoy this typical, comfortable silence between two women watching their children play.
The ordinary is never ordinary when you take a moment to appreciate what it is made of. It’s the little pieces of every day life that make it quite extraordinary.

RISE UP THURSDAY!

When trying something new, experiences are bound to get messy. And that can be the best part 🙂

RISE UP FRIDAY!
No matter what, Wil has this little smile every morning. Even on the days he doesn’t want to get out of bed. On those tired mornings, he will throw the covers over his head to hide from me, and when I finally convince him to get up, he’ll throw back the covers, pop up and say, “Just kidding!”

RISE UP THURSDAY!
Sometimes the most productive part of my day is when I’m not moving at all.