Grace Today Blog

How do you find contentment and joy in difficult places?
Over the past year, as David’s Dystonia has gotten worse and other life situations have become more challenging, I find myself asking this question more.

I guess it’s in how we let ourselves see things. We all have our own set of “difficult” circumstances – my dear friend from high school being the soul caregiver for her husband ill with the late stages of  alzheimer’s (he is only about 53) and now having to make some very hard decisions, my friend up north whose son is manic depressed and is a danger … Continue Reading

When a suffering and contorted child or adult finds dramatic help from their Dystonia it is a chance to stand and shout it from the rooftop!

That is why it is with great pleasure and rejoicing that I share this story of DBS and Dystonia with you.  It is a story of a seemingly perfectly normal child whose life is turned upside-down when he begins to show signs of Dystonia at age 11. What is Dystonia? Dystonia is a neurological disorder which causes muscles to contract involuntarily, forcing affected … Continue Reading

“A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22 (Amplified Bible)

Being confined to a wheelchair because of Dystonia and struggling to use his hands in the midst of contorted and twisted movements makes for a limited repertoire of enjoyable activities for David.  But that doesn’t seem to hinder his good-natured, joking and sly disposition!  One of his favorite pastimes is watching good ole’ Laurel and Hardy movies. In fact, he … Continue Reading

“Houston, we have a problem!”

Sometimes our situation is such that it’s near impossible to get out and minister to others. Do you know what I mean? Maybe, like me, you are a parent of a special needs child and their needs are too great for you to commit to any type of ministry that would take you away from them for an extended period of time. Or maybe you are caring for a disabled spouse or ailing parent. Or maybe you yourself … Continue Reading

Years ago, after my parents returned home from an “Old Timers” bus trip to the New England states, my mom told me that the theme song on the trip was “Don’t Worry! Be Happy”. At the time I thought, “That’s silly. Just a bunch of fluff!” But it seemed fitting since the tour guide and driver was my goofy and lovable Uncle Jack.

But since then, I’ve become a fan of the catchy tune because it has also become somewhat of a theme song for our son, David. With his dystonic movements from Dystonia, he is often twisting into uncontrollably … Continue Reading

Be inspired by this poem written by a woman with Dystonia.

The Game Of Spasms

by Sharon Mazurek

“My life in the game of spasms is like any game we play
I wake up in the morning and I always start to pray
Will the game that I choose to play today be easy like a toddler?
Or will that game I chose to play make my spasms feel tauter?

When we play a game of baseball
We always want to score
But in The game of spasms we might just be too sore

It does not really matter if win or lose the game
As long as we can walk … Continue Reading

Is Desiree Jennings faking Dystonia?

I realize this post is a little out of the ordinary from my usual posts on this blog. Normally I try to keep all my posts to stories and inspirational thoughts to give hope and encouragement to caregivers, parents of special needs children, and anyone else in challenging circumstances.  But today it seemed necessary, given the recent news story about Desiree Jennings on 20/20, that I should write about it in my blog. You can read more about the news story at the … Continue Reading