The Purpose of this Blog

     This is a space for me to share about my life--specifically, but not exclusively--as a mother of a child who has special needs. We started a blog after my son was born. It was basically his medical updates and our prayer requests as we embarked on this journey. As he has grown, progress is much less linear. Life can be much more confusing as the "normal" and the "special" needs intermingle more. It's just much less black and white than it was. It used to be we would have an appointment, then I would write a blog post about it. We would talk to the next doctor, ask the next question, and I would write the next post. But we don't have many specific questions that we're trying to answer anymore. That's one of the biggest reasons for starting this blog. It will be more centered and my thoughts and me communicating my experiences and emotions surrounding them, not just the conversations happening with his doctors. 

    I'm also stepping away from writing only about him. While I have a key part in his journey and him being able to share it, I want to be mindful that I am not sharing information about Leo that he would not want shared. I feel like I'm stepping into the questions more about sharing online as a parent. Parents post videos and pictures all the time, right? And I've been writing about Leo's life and medical needs for a while. But I've started to ask myself, "Am I sharing information that Leo would be uncomfortable with everyone knowing?" I don't know the answer to this right now. But I'm trying to navigate that space. 

    The name, "No Longer the Enemy", comes from a phrase that God gave me about two years into Leo's life: not the enemy I thought it was. On my grief journey, I have come to realize that Leo's brain damage is not the enemy that I initially thought it was. Therapy is not the enemy that I initially thought it was. A g-tube is not the enemy that I initially thought it was. There has been so much beauty in my motherhood journey. I believe Leo's body was designed this way by God. God uses Leo to show different things about Himself. I used to feel so angry at God for allowing my child's brain to be damaged. But I can truly say not that I would not want Leo to be different. I love the way he is. And this phrase has come up on my journey many times since then. Many painful things that come into life can initially be such enemies. I have come to learn more and more that pain is not the enemy I thought it was. I see God's character and eternity so much clearer through much of it. And that's what I wanna be living for.

    Thanks for being here!