Ideas for helping Navigating the Storms

Invisible Disability Definition – Simple to State, Hard to Spot

Let’s review the subject of invisible disabilities again. Recently, I’ve had to deal yet another time with misunderstandings in this area. Let’s begin with a simple invisible disability definition. Disability: impairment substantially limiting one or more major life activities. Invisible: unable to be seen. So … an unseen impairment. I bring you a true account […]

Are You REALLY There for Your Friend?

You care about your friend. You even call her sometimes. But does he know you REALLY care? Are you there to hold her hand, either metaphorically or physically, when she hurts? Does he know you understand that he has serious problems, even if you can’t understand or see the difficulties themselves? (Sometimes, we don’t even […]

Thanksgiving – With a Little Help

Creating a Thanksgiving invisibly disabled people can participate in and enjoy takes advance planning and some imagination and even ingenuity.Sometimes, it’s hard for a person to be thankful when he’s hurting or she’s sidelined. Or maybe he’s just received an unwanted diagnosis. Perhaps she’s going through a time of exacerbation.Here are some ideas for you […]

She Helped. He Helped. They Helped. Did You?

Everybody needs help at some point. Disabled persons obviously can’t function without some aid. Those with invisible disabilities, too, often benefit from assistance. Helping physically challenged friends enables them to more easily participate in life. It can encourage them in their storms.Who can help? Anyone!What’s required? Compassion!Our church held a Harvest Party, complete with costumes. At […]

Esther Collingwood: One Impact of Her Life

As I sit here mulling over the life of Esther Collingwood,I realize I didn’t really know her that well. Our primary connection in the last couple years was through Facebook. And yet, I feel such a keen sense of loss. Esther’s kindness to me One morning at Church, this friendly lady came up to me and […]

Thanksgiving: A Time to Rejoice — or Cry?

I trust you all had a happy and fulfilling Thanksgiving. We had family here and enjoyed them all. At times, though, I wasn’t really sure whether to rejoice or cry! Rejoicing in all my blessings, especially my family – or crying because my plans fell through. I “cooked” a full meal. Well, actually I haven’t […]

How to help physically challenged persons? Show you care!

And how do you show you support physically challenged persons? Be there for your friend. “Sometimes we need someone to simply be there. Not to fix anything or to do anything in particular but just to let us feel that we are cared for and supported.” Unknown In my life, the person most likely to […]

When a Friend Has a Chronic Illness: What to Say, How to Help

By Lisa Copen Out of ideas? Read on and see what Lisa has to say about how to help people with invisible disabilities and other physical challenges! When a friend hurts, we gather around her. When she has surgery, we line up outside her door with meals. We send flowers, cards, and gifts. We provide […]

Observer: Do your actions help or hurt?

Observers and Dwellers Two words. Two roles in life. The difference lies in the context: storms of chronic illnesses and invisible disabilities. Definitions Dweller: physically challenged people experiencing ongoing storms, constant or intermittent. Observer: anyone living outside these storms. Dweller/Observer: dweller who sees someone in a different storm. Help Needed by Dwellers Major. Minimal. None. […]

5 Real-Life Examples of Helping Out A Physically Challenged Friend

News flash: Thoughtful storm observers already spend time helping physically challenged people. But, often these caring observers want to assist even more but just don’t know how. Helping physically challenged people can be as simple as a phone call letting them know they are remembered or as involved as weekly assistance or as expensive as […]

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