Helen Baldwin lives in Jefferson, North Carolina, with her husband, Randy plus their two dogs, a cat, and untold wild critters outside. Their firstborn’s family, including two delightful children, lives just down the road, so she enjoys lots of MomMom time. Helen and Randy have a rental cabin and bees, among numerous other endeavors, so they’ll never be bored. Life took a drastic twist in 1997 when their third baby, Jeffrey, was diagnosed with SMA type 1. Although their active stint with SMA was brief, Helen hopes that sharing and connecting experiences after Jeffrey’s death, usually with optimism, helps others endure the unpredictability of loss and recovery.“The Sound of Music” isn’t just a beloved movie of mine. Growing up with an extraordinarily gifted musician mother, the sound(s) of music usually graced our lucky home. In her younger days, Mom performed numerous two-piano classical concerts with her oldest sister. Additionally, she frequently accompanied fellow…
My husband, Randy, and I celebrated our 12th anniversary in 1986, eagerly awaiting the arrival of our first baby the following month. In addition to eating healthily and walking regularly, my job as a teacher of children with orthopedic and multiple handicapping conditions provided constant action. My maternal…
Note: In an earlier version of this column that ran for a day, the timing of the author’s mother’s death was misstated. She died in 2022, not 2021. A weekend this month packed a particularly powerful punch. My husband, Randy, and I were married on June 7, 1974. So you…
It’s almost a wrap for this year’s May madness. Whew. For me, the month commences with the birthday of a favorite former student and ends with that of a good friend, as well as my nephew’s wedding anniversary. In between are Mother’s Day, spring sports, end-of-school chaos,…
Today is my birthday, and it’s a big one. In fact, earlier this year, my heart palpitated a bit when it sank in just how big it is. By now, however, it seems minimally eventful. Sunday, of course, was Mother’s Day. I heard that morning from our daughter, Katie, and…
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” I don’t know if this adage has retained its clout from my early school days, but surely it’s still familiar. It came in handy — sorta — when I was in elementary school. During a routine game…
The other night, I asked my husband, Randy, if he’d like to watch a movie. Although I was in the mood for some Denzel Washington action, another of his flicks caught my eye. I wasn’t familiar with “The Little Things,” from 2021, but it had a stellar cast…
Respiratory ailments never bothered my husband, Randy, or me in Fort Worth, Texas, where we grew up. Columbia, South Carolina, our destination in 1985, was wretchedly muggy but didn’t prompt any allergy issues, either. In the early 1990s, we moved to Lenoir, North Carolina, where furniture factories thrived. That would’ve…
It seems like yesterday that our family was eagerly anticipating the addition of our third baby. On May 18, 1997, the wait ended with the arrival of our sweet Jeffrey! Eight weeks later, though, a diagnosis of the deadliest form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) crushed our dreams…
This time 27 years ago, I was entering the third trimester of an unplanned pregnancy. My husband, Randy, and I had considered our family complete with two terrific children, Matthew and Katie. God, however, placed a cherry on top of our “fab four” with a big surprise: Jeffrey. Once we…
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