Our daughter completed our little family of four. Two years earlier we had welcomed her big brother Caleb. Blonde haired and blue eyed, and smiling seriously within his very first week, Caleb was and is such a precious gift to us with his big heart and his smile that never ends. As soon as his sister was born, we found that she absolutely adored her big brother. When he would speak, she would lift her head to look for him. Because he had only just turned two, he couldn’t really say her full name clearly. So, the name that he could say was the name that would ultimately stick of course. “Abbey”. And from that day on the nickname he gave her has been the name by which she has been known. It turns out her nickname has been beyond perfect, too. There’s just something cute and spunky about the name “Abbey”. Just like our girl. 

We wouldn’t find out until a week before she turned four years old that Abbey had Autism. Despite the life before and after feeling we have as a family looking back on our story, we also clearly see God’s hand in it all. Yes, her diagnosis hit us hard and we found ourselves journeying through the grief cycle for many years, but ultimately through this process we found our feet firmly planted on the hope that only God could bring. In turn it was this journey that lead us to create the nonprofit Hope on the Hard Road, Inc., and we feel so incredibly blessed to be able to help other families like ours. From one girl’s life came an entire ministry.

Little did we know when we chose the name of Abigail (a.k.a. Abbey) how perfect and profound this choice of names would be. Abbey has a neurodevelopmental diagnosis that causes her difficulty in communicating, anxiousness over unknowns, and sensory overload to the point of frustration; and yet despite all of that she exudes joy wherever she goes. From her cute and spunky observations and verbal commentary to her general zest for life and love of people; she is a light and a joy to all who know and love her. And frankly, even to those who only get to momentarily interact with her in check-out lines, at church, in drive throughs, at sporting events, on errands, etc. Don’t get me wrong she has her hard days too. The days that can easily overwhelm her and us too if we don’t remind ourselves to keep a bigger perspective on it and just keep swimming. However, overall our girl’s nature is one of exuberant joy. So much so that you just can’t help but smile and giggle when you get to be around her for any length of time.

We’re pretty sure this joy thing is her superpower. What better gift could there be then to bring joy and love to all those around you. We had no idea when we named her how impactful the joy that she would bring to her world would be, but God did. God new every little tiny detail of our Abbey before she was even born. He knew because He’s the one who made her. He fashioned her beautiful blonde hair and brown eyes, and cute freckled nose. He created that spunky strong-willed spirit He knew she would need to persevere. He put inside of her that bubbly joy for her to share. And yes, he orchestrated her life to include special needs. In all of this He had a plan and it was for her good (Jere 29:11). So, when life is hard and we’re holding onto hope in the midst, along side our daughter, we often remember this one simple thing: Her name means joy. That without a doubt is who she is and we are beyond blessed for it.