RECENT POSTS
What I Wish I’d Known When Our Child Was Diagnosed with Down Syndrome
GET THE FREE DOWNLOAD On December 30, 2005, our firstborn daughter came into the world. It was an easy delivery—a little early, but not premature,
3 Practices to Follow Jesus and Cultivate Love
If you are curious about the spiritual life, and about following Jesus, here are three practices that can help you begin or deepen that journey:
Homecoming and Belonging
As a mother of a child with a disability, school events can be rough. I’m talking about everything from dances to sports to eating lunch
Anxiety Is a Signal
One night this summer, I had an anxiety dream (that’s what I call it). I don’t have them often, but in this particular dream I’m
Using the Spiritual Imagination as a Vehicle for Hope
A few months after Penny was first born, I realized that I lacked an imagination for a good future for our family. What little understanding
September Introductions
It’s time for another round of introductions as this little community continues to grow. I’d love to hear from you about who you are and
From Safety to Health for Our Kids
I feel a twinge of fear whenever Penny uses a sharp knife in the kitchen. I could pretend my fear is simply a product of
RNS | Why do I still go to church?
READ THE RNS ESSAY: Why do I still go to church? For many Americans, going to church has become outdated, impractical, and in some cases
S7 E2 | Anxiety: A Doorway to Your Best Self? with Curtis Chang
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Do you wrestle with anxiety? Are you plagued with worries? Do you think you’ve conquered anxiety? Curtis Chang, author of
New Rule: No Crying on Date Night
Peter and I have a new rule: No crying on date night. We’ve been married for close to a quarter of a century, and we’ve
Festival of Faith and Writing April 2024
I can more or less measure the timeline of my writing career through the Festival of Faith and Writing. In 2008 I saw an ad
Watching Down for Love
We took advantage of an unexpected early dismissal from school to watch the final episode of Down for Love. I’ll write more (and hopefully Penny
TIME: Doctors Don’t Know How to Talk About Down Syndrome
Read the Essay: Doctors Don’t Know How to Talk About Down Syndrome Any parent who has received a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome
“They aren’t special needs. They are human needs.”
“They aren’t special needs. They are human needs.” My friend Jay Wolf gave this beautifully concise explanation of why the term “special needs” is problematic.
The Particular Faces of People With Down Syndrome
Penny and her friend Rachel call each other twins sometimes. It came about because they realized that they could open each other’s phones without a
Disability Is Central to James McBride’s Latest Novel. Critics Are Missing That Point.
Has anyone else read James McBride’s latest novel, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store? I really liked it. I’ve read reviews, but I think the
Healing Gets in the Way. And That’s Okay.
I could hardly stand up from my chair. The pain came out of nowhere, it seemed. No injury. No tweaking. No unusual activity. Just shooting
S7 E1 | The Hope and Hurt of Being Black in America with Esau McCaulley
Apple Google Spotify More! “Whose stories matter?” Esau McCaulley, author of How Far to the Promised Land, joins Amy Julia Becker for an honest, hopeful
What Penny and I Thought About the Champions Movie
I’m a little late to this game (no pun intended), but we watched Champions as a family recently, and we all want to recommend it.
12 Year Anniversary of A Good and Perfect Gift
Twelve years ago today, A Good and Perfect Gift came out into the world. I still hear from readers regularly, and I am so so
There Are Good Reasons for Leaving Church. Why Do I Stay?
There are good reasons for leaving church: scandals, abuse, hypocrisy, patriarchal structures, intolerance. Nearly 40 million American adults were once churchgoers but aren’t any longer,
