RECENT POSTS
NBC News Now | Teaching Kids About Disability and Friendship
Watch Segment 1 Watch Segment 2 I loved being able to talk yesterday about friendship and disability with my friend Niro Feliciano on NBC News
Why Our Down Syndrome Clinic Appointment Is Worth It
Once a year, Penny and I travel to see a specialist and his team at the Down syndrome clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital. Every year,
Christianity Today: God Teaches Me Through My Daughter with Down Syndrome
Adults with intellectual disabilities can have robust spiritual lives. Are we learning from them? Every Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I join a Zoom call
Using Our Spiritual Imaginations to Envision a Good and Possible Future
I get overwhelmed easily when I think about the future, especially as Penny is about to turn 18. We need to make decisions with her
S7 E7 | How Advent Resists the Culture Wars with Tish Harrison Warren
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Holiday culture wars and consumerism bring more chaos than joy to the world. But there’s hope. The countercultural season of
Giving Tuesday
It’s Giving Tuesday tomorrow, so I thought I’d mention two organizations that we love supporting with financial gifts: Special Hope Network. This beautiful organization welcomes
How to Find Joy Even When Life Is Hard
A couple weeks ago I was talking to Jamie of Mattea’s Joy, and she asked me, “What does it mean to you to find joy
Christian Century: Worshiping at the church of Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift more or less plays on repeat when I’m driving around with our kids, so the recent arrival of The Eras Tour film, a new version
I’m a soccer mom.
I have spent the past few weeks bemoaning the hours I spend in the car, driving in circles around our local landscape. Our kids play
Failing in Front of the Kids
I played soccer for the first time in over 30 years on Monday. It was exactly the situation I try to avoid. Marilee’s team had
S7 E6 | How to Become a Worry-Free Parent with Sissy Goff, LPC-MHSP
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Anxious parents. Anxious families. Anxiety is contagious. How do I know if I’m an anxious parent? And if I am one,
What if I Feel Guilty as a Parent Because My Child Has a Disability?
What if I feel guilty as a parent because of my child’s disability? I was asked this question a few weeks ago when I was
Friendship Forms Durable Hope
What do I do? People in my family received a terminal diagnosis for their child. What do I do? A woman recently emailed me this
Stepping Off the Ladder of Comparison
I’ve been writing about Penny for a long time now. Along the way, I’ve often written of her accomplishments. The cuteness of hearing her pronounce
S7 E5 | Finding Hope in the Dark with Curt Thompson, MD
Apple YouTube Spotify More! How do we show up for each other in the midst of pain? Is it possible to hope when we’re suffering?
Penny in Her Own Words: What I Want You to Know About My Life
What does life for a 17-year-old with Down syndrome look like? In case you’re curious, I asked Penny a few questions about her life as
Small Talk Turns 9
“Limitations, properly understood, lead to love.” I don’t always live as though I believe those words. I would often like to overcome limitations rather than
COGNOSCENTI | The future I imagine for my daughter
The future is uncertain. After high school, should Penny go to a community college? Will she be segregated and only socialize with peers with intellectual
Penny in Her Own Words: Inclusion and High School Senior Project
What does inclusion look like for a senior with Down syndrome at our local public school? Here’s one example, in her own words, from an
Friendship: Judgment and Jealousy or Celebration and Compassion
I learned early on in Penny’s life that if I spent my days comparing her to other kids, I would find myself in a place
4 Ways to Deal with Brokenness
The world feels shattered. Some days I feel shattered. What do we do with all our broken pieces? I’ve found that there are four ways
