Stacey Laho

“Real isn’t how you're made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become Real.” “Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit. “Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real, you don’t mind being hurt.” “Does it happen all at once like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?” “It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out, and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real, you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand. ” ~ The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams A blond-haired little girl stood in t...

“I’ve never had anyone speak to me like that before. I can’t believe she said that when all was trying to do was help, “I quietly griped to Jeff. We were at the airport preparing to fly home from a restful, celebratory, trip to Florida. Twenty-five years of marriage definitely deserved a little celebrating. Jeff looked puzzled at me as we stood in line at the gate to check our bags.I mumbled, “That lady. She was mean to me. I’ve never had anyone talk to me like that .”  “What lady?” Jeff asked me to explain after we sat down to wait for the plane to start boarding “See that old lady with dark hair, standing next to the tall old man? Well she just bit my head off! I saw her walk briskly up to the gate with her husband and bark at him to get their tickets out. I thought I would ease her anxiety by telling her the plane wasn’t boarding yet and I was merely checking my bag, eyes of hate pierced into me with a snappy ‘ I know that’ . She paused to let the mind-your-o...

"Caleb where is the "For Sale" sign?" I yelled to my ten year old boy who let me know multiple times how much he didn't want to move. The "Sign" making a ten minute debut disappeared as quickly as it went up. "I TOOK IT DOWN BECAUSE WE'RE NOT MOVING!" Caleb unabashedly confessed. "WELL, GET OUT THERE AND PUT IT BACK IN THE GROUND. IT'S NOT YOUR PROPERTY, " I retorted knowing darn well he could care less it wasn't his property. Out he slumped and stomped. I expected him to storm back through the door within a minute, carrying on about his fierce resentment toward me for making him move. Minutes went by and he still hadn't come in. I peered out the front window to see what was taking him. There he was straining to shove the poles back into the dry yard along with help from the red-headed, assertive six year old neighbor girl, Kamrynn. (I know that's how you spell her name because she spelled it on my d...

I constructed a bulky black binder filled with letters from doctors, test results, lists of medications, questions for medical professionals, and divided it neatly by tabs to keep order in my life. It followed me to every appointment I had with my baby, my severely multiply impaired baby. The binder held my tears and my sanity while granting me a sense of order during a chaotic period. I wish I would have had Jolene Philo's The Caregiver's Notebook: An Organizational Tool and Support  twenty years ago. My eclectic style binder did a decent job of holding the craziness of caring for a disabled child but Jolene's new book is an organizational idea on steroids.   I think the cover is absolutely lovely!   Jolene has thought of every detail of caregiving. It includes twelve sections concerning the care of a loved one, plus a section in the beginning instructing the best use of this tool. From medications to legal ...

Many have asked how Alisha is since her surgery last week... She has amazing rebound. The docs prescribed some hefty meds for pain. The pharmacist told me if we didn't use them, to dump them into a kitty litter box and if we don't have a cat to find someone who has one. I said, "Can't I just pour them down the sink." Her response, "No. That would contaminate the water supply." Well, I certainly don't want to be on the front page of the local paper as the one who tainted the Wayne County Water System. I do care about the environment. She then gave me the more convenient option of pouring them into coffee grounds. Glad to report the patient did not need much of them and into the "grounds" they went. This surgery has to be deemed the best ever! Alisha being in peak health had absolutely no complications. Thank you Jesus! The surgeon believes the procedure worked and after we get through this transition period of splinting/casting Alish...

Here's the "red button" version of our Memorial Weekend. I say "red button" because Alisha has a red button switch she travels back and forth to school with for communication. Every day I record on the "red button" what she did the night before. It's brief but informative. Friday delivered the long awaited Prom event. Our daughter, Hannah, looked stunning in her wedding prom dress. I keep reminding myself I get to spend more money one day when she weds, which I anticipate happening long after we have financially recovered from prom. She felt like a princess, danced like a princess, and looked like a princess. Priceless. Later that evening the rest of the Fam went to Caleb's baseball practice. We don't usually all go to practice. Matter of fact, I strategically work the schedule to see this rarely happens. I always say to our kids, practice is for you to show me in a game what you learned. But alas it made more sense to stop on our way ...

Recently, I received a large envelope with letters to our family. These letters were from children who spent a week at Kids Kamp last summer through Ward Church. This particular camp holds special meaning for our family as it is a way we remember our son, Kodey, who died in October 2002. To honor Kodey's love of Kids Kamp, we set up a scholarship to help children attend who may not otherwise be able to, due to financial strain. Although not required, we often receive letters from the kids who go.   Here is the brochure. The Camp is at Center Lake Bible Camp in Tustin, MI. The hovering fog over the lake in the early morning hours appears mystical.       Here is my boy. I love the grin and eagerness in his eyes to throw that water balloon. It's a perfect image of him as almost everywhere he went became a celebration.     Here is one of the letters we received. I kept the writer's name hidden. But I could not resist sh...