New Study on FAS

I found this on ARC's facebook page this morning. It is one of the most easy to read, simple bulleted guides I have seen to use when identifying fetal alcohol disorders, how to prevent them and understand them. I highly recommend reading it.
http://www.med.nyu.edu/conditions-we-treat/conditions/fetal-alcohol-syndrome

A Grandmother's Hand

As I reached over to grab the plate one Sunday evening at church during the taking of the body and blood of Christ, I looked at the elderly hand that was lifting it in my direction. Although I never looked up to see her face, the hand was that of a wiser woman, most likely one with many grandchildren, possibly even great-grandchildren. Oh how I wished it was my grandmother sitting next to me. Suddenly I caught myself fighting puddles in each eye as I remembered so many Sundays where I actually was sitting next to my grandmother in church. She was usually patting my leg, handing me a piece of gum or giving me a pencil. Sometimes she was following along in her bible as her crooked finger pointed at every word on each tattered page. I would give anything to be sitting beside her again. I would love to ask her advice on whether I am parenting my children correctly; am I giving them half as much unconditional love as she gave me or if I am being the woman that she always dreamed I could be. I would love to hear her laugh, see her dance....even wiggle her toes for that matter. I always knew that my grandmother was special but I never realized how much she impacted my life. Each decision I make today is due to the influence my grandmother made on me. I pray that I instill those same values on my children and my grandchildren. Thank you God for giving me such a powerful, earthly example.
I would also like to share an article with you that was posted today on www.skirt.com
http://lubbock.skirt.com/shes_so_skirt/jennifer-poss-taylor-words-heal

I Know Better Than To Ask God, Why?

Each day I discover another fascinating event that God has placed in my life for a predetermined reason. Once the discovery is exposed, the chills are joined with a small smile like a quiet conversation with God to say, "thank you" for thinking of me. I write about several of those moments in my book Forfeiting All Sanity but one moment was revealed to me the day I emailed "friends" in my contact list to let them know my book was available for purchase.
About 5 years ago, my husband and our three kids were sitting at Chilis eating dinner. A lady came over to our table to tell us she was admiring our little family and wanted to tell us so. I had just started a photography business not long before so when we left, I walked over and handed her a business card and told her if she ever need a photographer, I would love for her to consider me.
A few years passed and low and behold, she called me to take her daughter's senior pictures. She became a customer and I entered her contact information into my email system. A couple years later, she called again for me to take pictures of her family because they had just adopted a little girl.
A few days before she received the email about my book Forfeiting All Sanity, A Mother's Story about Raising A Child With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, she too received the news from her doctor that her adopted daughter will struggle throughout her lifetime with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Now was it a coincidence that we were both in Chilis that same day at the very same time and we were drawn to one another? I don't think so. That was God's way of drawing two people together that would one day discover that they would need each other for the rest of their lifetimes.