On this next to last day of the year I decided to steal this idea from my good friend Mark Leach and my hubs, Jonathan. I look at my analytics on a regular basis and some of my blogs are a response to what I see readers wanting more of and some are a response to comments asking for more on a certain subject. The subject is pretty much always inclusion in some way, shape or form. I hope that something we have shared from our journey makes a difference for some of you!  A favorite song of mine says “may all who come behind us find us faithful.” That is not only my wish, but my prayer.

Countdown starting with number 5, Inclusion Done Right: Church Camp. Sadly, I get so many questions and comments about church inclusion. It has caused me to spend some time with my good friends down in Southeast New Mexico discussing how and what we could do to help families and churches with this. Would you be interested in a Facebook group specifically for Inclusive Church/Worship? Let me know.

4. Rachel Prayers and Homecoming. This girl has a sweet little spirit to go with her sassy self in training. Check this out to see for yourself. Her first high school homecoming.

3.  As I am writing I noticed that the 3, 4 and 5 all involve religion in some way. Of course they involve inclusion.  Bat Mitzvah – Just Like You Our participation in a friends Bat Mitzvah was such an honor and an incredible blessing for our family. Learned more about the Jewish faith which always fascinates me. Had the opportunity to be inspired by teenagers and adults alike as they reached out to Rachel, who they did not know, and made her feel included in their celebration! Thank you Kimberly and Melina!

2. Modifications: Ideas from a Mom Not much more you can say about this. Just sharing some things that have worked for us along this journey. On Facebook and at conferences there is never a lack of questions on how to make the curriculum work. Rachel has had the benefit of some outstanding teachers. Happy to share some of what has worked and what hasn’t.

1. Hands down with almost triple to reads of any other blog post, Real Friends.

That says a lot about the face of life for people with disabilities, too. The law gets us in the classroom but we need people to follow the examples in blogs three through five and include individuals with disabilities in meaningful friendships, real friendships. I know this is a struggle for those with and without disabilities. I think this blog lends some ideas to both.

Finally, I cheated. Until We Meet Again Susan Mom, 

is a tribute to my mother in law who passed away unexpectedly early in the year, actually came in as one of my top five posts for the year.  I know that most people who read my blog are reading about the adventures of Rachel her friend and family in the mainstream. I would be honored if you wanted to take a peak at this one, too.

Tomorrow, I will be posting a final blog for the year to wrap it all up. Thanks for reading. Love sharing life and learning from each other. Please feel share to comment and/or share my posts with anyone else who might benefit!  I even have a group of teachers following our journey!