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The Unbridled Joy of Special Needs Parenting
A Special Needs Parent’s User’s Manual for the Heart This is the guide I wish I had found 20+ years ago when I discovered I was destined to be the parent of a Special Needs child. My son has been diagnosed with moderate to severe autism. The first half of this post is directly copied…
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Grieving the Loss of What You Never Had
Grieving the Loss of What You Never Had The day I finally accepted my son’s diagnosis, I sat and wept. Not just a few quiet tears, but deep, body-shaking sobs that seemed to come from somewhere ancient inside me. I wasn’t just crying for my son—I was mourning the death of a dream. When you…
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Shattering the Dreams of a Perfect Child
My Common Journey I’ve known my autistic son was special for two decades now. Through those years, I’ve also come to know many families with special needs children, and I’ve noticed so many commonalities in our experiences. It’s like we’re all walking different paths through the same forest, encountering the same landmarks, just at different…
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Your Autistic Child is Not Broken
Do you have a broken child? Is your world crashing down around you? I remember that feeling—the moment when everything you thought your life would be suddenly shatters into pieces. Your dreams of the perfect family now lie in tatters. That hopelessness and despair can feel overwhelming, can’t it? When you first realize your perfect…
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Writing 201: How to Restart after a Long Break
Engaging the writer’s mind and hearing the Muse’s voice. A few months ago, I took what I thought was going to be a small break, and it turned into a long one. A spiritual practice is something each of us must live, not in theory, but actually in practice. Sometimes, that practice involves giving to…
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Balancing Act: Striking the Right Harmony Between Worldly Ambitions and Spiritual Needs
Each person must find their own balance point between pursing worldly goals and finding inner peace. My apologies for the slow pace of new posts lately. I haven’t lost my enthusiasm, nor have I run out of material. Over the last three weeks, my life circumstances made it necessary to focus on worldly matters. I…
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Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: Taking (aka Tonglen)
Tonglen meditation involves visualizing the suffering of others as dark smoke absorbed into the heart, where it is purified and transformed into light, then radiated outward. In Buddhist psychology, there are three fundamental reactions to the experience of any phenomenon. If one were to examine their day to day experiences of objects, they would find…
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Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: Great Compassion
Great Compassion in Lamrim is the profound desire to free all sentient beings from suffering, seeing their pain as one’s own and striving for their ultimate happiness. The first seven steps on the Great Scope of Lamrim focused on people, with the final step being the complete exchange of self with other. Lamrim teachings take…
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Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: Exchanging Self with Others
Challenging the ego-centric perspective, promoting a shift towards universal compassion and the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim is the path to enlightenment. It’s a step-by-step emotional journey from ruthless self-centeredness, the natural human condition, to a compassionate focus on the needs and wants of others. It’s…
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Boost Your Focus: Mastering the Art of Concentration with Time-Tested Antidotes to Distraction
Discover cutting-edge strategies and timeless wisdom to enhance your focus in any endeavor. Distractions in meditation include (1) Sensual Desire, which is the attachment to sensory pleasures; (2) Ill Will, characterized by negative emotions towards oneself or others; (3) Sloth and Torpor, combining physical and mental sluggishness; (4) Restlessness and Remorse, involving unease and regret;…