My dear parents… how I see you and feel your pain. You are the reason I started the whole Light & Delight adventure. You whose kids suffer from allergies, intolerances, diabetes, leaky gut syndrome, etc. Hang in there, help is coming.

I can’t pretend that I can solve all of your problems, I certainly can’t make your kids all healthy at once (I do not intend to replace their doctor). But I am most definitely going to pour my heart into Light & Delight and get out of my way to help you. Help you get some hope that the burden you’re carrying out of deep love for your child can get lighter, help you see that there can be a light at the end of the tunnel, help you catch a breath, get some air and keep going (because you have to) feeling as much renewed and lighter as can be.

I know your suffering because I went through it, for many years. I know the fatigue, the overwhelming feelings, the distress sometimes. I know in many cases there is just no help and you are doing this alone. I know about the time devoted to planning meals and making a grocery shopping list, the hours spent in the kitchen when you wish you could just enjoy your kids a bit more or have a relaxing evening. I know about the lonely late nights spent prepping, cooking and tidying up, and the deep feeling that there just was not enough sleep.

Hang in there, parents. Whether or not your kids will grow out of their illness and get better, there is a way to go through these years of extra-caring without loosing it. Without loosing yourself, your health, or even your relationships for that matter.

Of course the intensity of what I am depicting is related to what I went through and what I have observed around me, but some of you parents might have it easier, fortunately. You might have special help, like a grand-parent close by to give you an extra-needed hand. You might have enough money that you can get someone to help you cook. You might have a decent enough salary in the family that one of you both can just stop working, or work part-time. But let’s be real, many of you do not have that. Many parents are on their own, can’t afford all the help they would need and just can’t stop working to provide the special care their children need.

Light & Delight will regularly publish articles and recipes to help you. I will share the lessons I have learnt the hard way over the past five years, and the recipes I have developed with much love, in the hope they will help you fast-track your learning process and set up a more efficient routine.

Please do not hesitate to reach out, for Light & Delight is all about sharing and getting a sense of community, a sense that you are not alone in this life experience.

Again, hang in there parents, and welcome to Light & Delight!

With love,

Louise