For years, I had been talking of ‘one day’ starting a podcast. In 2017 my kids bought me a microphone for Mother’s Day. It sat in the box on a shelf in my closet collecting dust for a very long time. Once or twice I even thought about giving it to Goodwill. This summer I was challenged to take it out of the box. Here’s the thing. We ALL have a story to tell. The people around you all have stories to tell too. A microphone is just a great way to get those stories out of our heads and into the world where they just might make a positive difference in someone else’s day. Take Away: Get a microphone. Start a podcast.
Sandy Deppisch is a teacher, wife and seasoned mother of five whose youngest is a 19 year old with Down syndrome, Autism and ADHD. This podcast is about connecting you with other parents who walk in your shoes and completely understand the journey. In the middle of your sleep deprived, overly caffeinated, harried existence you will be inspired and encouraged.
Nail Care Nightmares
Can any of you relate? Your loved one’s nails are incredibly long, desperately in need to of a major trim. For the purposes of this scenario we will stick to toe nails, lovely glorious, Lord, WHY do they have to grow so fast, toe nails. Have you ever seen such nails? Can you picture in your mind what they look like? Let me just add, they are THICK.
Now imagine it’s your task to trim those nails to a neatly manicured length. And imagine your loved one has no desire for you to get within even 6 football fields of his feet, let alone up close and personal to his toes. Imagine attempting to trim not just one but all 10 of those toe nails! It’s paramount to risking life and limb. Are you up for the challenge?
Quite frankly, I’m not. Read more
Drumroll Please!
You guys are awesome! In a very short time, 54 entries from 28 people came POURING in. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and creativity in helping Josiah name his budding new business. It was extremely difficult to narrow down the list but Josiah’s amazing caregivers were up to the challenge. I may have sent a few too many text messages to them with lists of names that were continually needing to be tweaked. Everyone liked different ones so identifying the 3 favorites for Josiah to choose from was a bit of a challenge.
When the finalists were decided, the whisper guided Josiah through the selection process. It was just after an evening shower, when Josiah usually prefers to head straight to his room. He had just 4 hours of sleep the night before and walked a few miles that afternoon. Though he was tired, he complied. Josiah was called over to the counter where he promptly sat down on a stool. Three index cards were placed in front of him and the names read to him in order.
We Need Your Creativity!
While that may very well be true, we are powerless to come up with THE name for Josiah’s new business. After many months creating behind the scenes, this new business venture remains unveiled, all due to lack of a name.
Josiah and one of his amazing caregivers embarked on this new enterprise about 6 months ago.
The Josiah whisperer shared this business idea with me when Josiah was still in the midst of difficult challenges. I’m well aware he works miracles with Josiah but from my perspective, this seemed like a stretch, even for him. We were struggling to get through the days with no painful episodes of aggression/self-injury. Contemplating a business endeavor at that point was not on my radar.
I should know better than to doubt the whisperer’s wisdom. He and Josiah have a special connection that defies description. He speaks and Josiah complies. Truly remarkable. Read more