Special needs parents need rest. But where to find it? That’s the problem guest blogger Rebekah Benimoff asks and answers in today’s guest post. So put your feet up and rest while you read her post.<\/em><\/p>\n In this moment, I need the simplicity of quiet and rest. I live just far away from family to not be at every event, and often, phone calls bridge the gap between celebrations and attending. My special needs family requires living differently, in many ways.<\/p>\n This creates an overwhelming need in me<\/i> to draw apart and simply seek peace in the inmost places.<\/b><\/p>\n Daily, weekly…even on special celebration days. Years ago I would have made the trip, two weekends in a row. I would have pushed through managing multiple medical issues, until I was spent, filled only by fatigue and utter exhaustion. I learned the hard way what works, and what, in the end, only depletes wellness.<\/p>\n Sometimes I feel confined by diabetes<\/a><\/span>, post-traumatic stress disorder<\/a><\/span>, and sensory processing disorder<\/a><\/span>. Yet, most days I recognize the intentional hemming in. Not despite the boundaries, but because<\/i> of them I have learned what it is to continually press in. I understand that I can not deal with all this<\/i> on my own.<\/p>\n To move forward, I have to seek strength<\/a> <\/i>beyond what I can muster. <\/b><\/p>\n Still, it is easy to become engrossed in the day to day managing of so many special needs\u2013<\/b>and when I am engulfed in a mess of medical mayhem, I often press on without pressing in. In these times, I tend to carry an awful lot of baggage and not even know it. Life tumbles on, and I deal in bursts\u2013bursts of hormones and blood glucose levels, eruptions of emotions, and battles of will. Balancing diabetes symptoms with hormonal surges in these last months has been exhausting.\u00a0 After a long season of addressing diabetes complications due to puberty, this first week of summer has lit up an urgency in me, an essential letting go and an intentional filling up.<\/p>\n My son’s endocrinologist asked him this week what he was doing over the summer. His answer? Resting. Simple and to the point. We need<\/i> recovery time. While other families traipse to camps and theme parks and family vacations, what my family needs most right now is rest. <\/i><\/p>\n We need a different kind of recreation in this season. <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n A quiet refreshing, a time to recover, to be enfolded in tranquility, allowing serenity to nestle deep into the places that are filled only by seeking stillness, quietude. <\/i>It’s all<\/i> good. Relaxation is a needed resource, a necessary life gift. A way to unwind before I unravel, a conduit of connection with my Source. So today, I will call those I love, connecting over the miles, and then, I will engage in purposeful refueling. I will close my eyes, breathe deep, give thanks for the many gifts in my life, and I will revel in… <\/b><\/i><\/p>\n …lavish rest.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n What’s your greatest need as a special needs parent? Is is lavish rest, like Rebekah, or does something else restore you? Share your insight in the comment box.\u00a0<\/p>\n Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ background_color=”#b4dbc0″ custom_padding=”20px|20px|20px|20px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3IiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiJCeSAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsIm5hbWVfZm9ybWF0IjoiZGlzcGxheV9uYW1lIiwibGluayI6Im9uIiwibGlua19kZXN0aW5hdGlvbiI6ImF1dGhvcl9hcmNoaXZlIn19@” image=”http:\/\/differentdream.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rebekah-Benimoff.jpg” icon_placement=”left” image_max_width=”100px” content_max_width=”800px” _builder_version=”4.10.5″ _dynamic_attributes=”title” header_font=”Rubik|500|||||||” header_text_color=”#44465f” header_font_size=”14px” header_line_height=”32px” body_font=”Rubik||||||||” body_text_color=”rgba(0,6,69,0.6)” body_link_text_color=”#ffffff” custom_css_main_element=”font-weight: 400;” border_radii_image=”on|100px|100px|100px|100px” border_color_all_image=”#ffffff” box_shadow_style_image=”preset1″ box_shadow_vertical_image=”20px” box_shadow_blur_image=”40px” box_shadow_color_image=”rgba(68,70,95,0.27)” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Rebekah Benimoff is the wife of a husband with PTSD and the mother of two young men, both of whom grew up with medical and special needs. She blogs at <\/span>In the Chaos\u2026. and In the Calm (justmemama.blogspot.com)<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”4.4.2″ custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#42313A” button_bg_color=”#EBDCB2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_comments][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.2″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”#42313A” background_color_gradient_end=”#EBDCB2″ background_color_gradient_direction=”159deg” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” border_width_all=”3px” border_color_all=”#1c1259″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.2″ width=”100%” max_width=”100%” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”25px|0px|5px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”horizontal_optin_column_1″ _builder_version=”4.3.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″ header_text_align=”right” header_text_color=”#45107a” header_3_font=”Dancing Script|700|||||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#B4DBC0″ header_3_font_size=”45px” custom_margin=”10px||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.3.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_signup mailchimp_list=”JolenePhilo|89f719a52b” layout=”bottom_top” first_name_fullwidth=”off” last_name_field=”off” email_fullwidth=”off” module_class=”custom_emailoptin” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ form_field_focus_background_color=”#42313A” background_enable_color=”off” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”16px” button_text_color=”#42313A” button_bg_color=”#B4DBC0″ button_border_width=”2px” button_border_radius=”0px” button_font=”|||on|||||” button_use_icon=”off” button_custom_margin=”5px||||false|false” button_custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” border_width_all_fields=”2px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_signup][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″ header_font=”EB Garamond|600|||||||” header_text_color=”#B6452C” header_font_size=”50px” header_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”current” show_more=”on” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ header_text_color=”#42313A” meta_font=”||on||||||” read_more_font=”|||on|||||” read_more_text_color=”#B6452C” read_more_font_size=”12px” pagination_text_color=”#B6452C” pagination_font_size=”20px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Special needs parents give a great deal, but sometimes their needs must be met, too. Guest blogger Rebekah Benimoff blogs about her need for lavish rest. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"[caption id=\"attachment_10400\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"333\"]Special Needs Parents Need Lavish Rest<\/h3>\n
Your Needs As a Special Needs Parent?<\/h3>\n
Subscribe for Updates from Jolene<\/h3>\n
Related Posts<\/h1>\n
![\"Special](\"http:\/\/differentdream.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/rest-and-relax.jpg\")
<\/a> Photo Credit: papaija2008 at www.freedigitalphotos.net<\/a>[\/caption]\n\nSpecial needs parents need rest. But where to find it? That's the problem guest blogger Rebekah Benimoff<\/a> asks and answers in today's guest post. So put your feet up and rest while you read her post.<\/em>\nSpecial Needs Parents Need Lavish Rest<\/h3>\nIn this moment, I need the simplicity of quiet and rest. I live just far away from family to not be at every event, and often, phone calls bridge the gap between celebrations and attending. My special needs family requires living differently, in many ways.\n\nThis creates an overwhelming need in me<\/i> to draw apart and simply seek peace in the inmost places.<\/b>\n\nDaily, weekly...even on special celebration days. Years ago I would have made the trip, two weekends in a row. I would have pushed through managing multiple medical issues, until I was spent, filled only by fatigue and utter exhaustion. I learned the hard way what works, and what, in the end, only depletes wellness.\n\nSometimes I feel confined by diabetes<\/a>, post-traumatic stress disorder<\/a>, and sensory processing disorder<\/a>. Yet, most days I recognize the intentional hemming in. Not despite the boundaries, but because<\/i> of them I have learned what it is to continually press in. I understand that I can not deal with all this<\/i> on my own.\n\nTo move forward, I have to seek strength<\/a> <\/i>beyond what I can muster. <\/b>\n\nStill, it is easy to become engrossed in the day to day managing of so many special needs\u2013<\/b>and when I am engulfed in a mess of medical mayhem, I often press on without pressing in. In these times, I tend to carry an awful lot of baggage and not even know it. Life tumbles on, and I deal in bursts\u2013bursts of hormones and blood glucose levels, eruptions of emotions, and battles of will. Balancing diabetes symptoms with hormonal surges in these last months has been exhausting.\u00a0 After a long season of addressing diabetes complications due to puberty, this first week of summer has lit up an urgency in me, an essential letting go and an intentional filling up.\n\nMy son's endocrinologist asked him this week what he was doing over the summer. His answer? Resting.Simple and to the point. We need<\/i> recovery time. While other families traipse to camps and theme parks and family vacations, what my family needs most right now is rest. <\/i>\n\nWe need a different kind of recreation in this season. <\/i><\/b>\n\nA quiet refreshing, a time to recover, to be enfolded in tranquility, allowing serenity to nestle deep into the places that are filled only by seeking stillness, quietude. <\/i>It's all<\/i> good. Relaxation is a needed resource, a necessary life gift. A way to unwind before I unravel, a conduit of connection with my Source. So today, I will call those I love, connecting over the miles, and then, I will engage in purposeful refueling. I will close my eyes, breathe deep, give thanks for the many gifts in my life, and I will revel in... <\/b><\/i>\n\n...lavish rest.<\/b><\/i>\n
Your Needs As a Special Needs Parent?<\/h3>\nWhat's your greatest need as a special needs parent? Is is lavish rest, like Rebekah, or does something else restore you? Share your insight in the comment box. And check out more of Rebekah's posts at her website, Just Me Mama<\/a>.\n\nDo you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.<\/em>\n\nSave<\/span>","_et_gb_content_width":"2880","footnotes":""},"categories":[3559,3615,3583],"tags":[3705,3887,1432,1927,3888],"class_list":["post-10399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-different-dream","category-encouragement","category-spiritual-support","tag-guest-blogger","tag-juvenile-diabetes","tag-post-traumatic-stress-disorder","tag-rebekah-benimoff","tag-sensory-processing-disorder"],"yoast_head":"\n