My latest thoughts on
faith, family, disability,
privilege, and healing
Sharing Stories Instead of Opinions
Penny and Marilee and I had a girls’ day yesterday. They had a friend sleep over, which involved milkshakes and making up dances and watching

Thoughts from March 19-23, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Monday, March

What a Snow Day Taught Me about God’s Love
SNOW DAYS AND GOD’S LOVE It’s been a long few weeks here in the Northeast, as any parent of any small child can tell you.
AJB Recommends: Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward
I read Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones–winner of the National Book Award–last year. It is worth reading on many levels with a strong main character,
Thoughts from March 12-16, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Tuesday, March
Thoughts from March 5-9, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Monday, March

A New Frontier for People with Disabilities
Decades ago, people with intellectual disabilities went to institutions on a regular basis. Life expectancy was short and quality of life was low. In the

What Do You Want to Do When You’re Happy?
I’ve been thinking about happiness lately. My hypothesis is that we don’t engage in destructive behavior when we’re happy. We don’t say, “I’m so happy,
Thoughts from February 26- March 3, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Tuesday, February
Thoughts from February 19-23, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Tuesday, February

My Daughter with Down Syndrome Finds a Mentor
For many years, if you asked Penny what it meant to have Down syndrome, she would not say a word and instead drop into

Thoughts from February 9-16, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Friday, February

Why Does a Toyota Ad about the Paralympics Make Me Cry?
So why is it that I get all choked up when I watch this Toyota commercial? It features Paralympic gold medalist Lauren Woolstencroft, a
Thoughts from February 5-7, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Monday, February

Reading the Bible as a Love Letter
We’ve been reading through the Biblical book of Genesis at church lately, and yesterday we looked at Genesis 4, the story of Cain and Abel.
Thoughts from January 29-February 2, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Monday, January
Redeeming the Pain of the Past
When I was in high school and college, I threw up almost every day. It’s a long story, but I had a paralyzed stomach that
Thoughts from January 23-26, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Tuesday, January
Thoughts from January 15-19, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Monday, January

Two Great Books for Kids about Women of Color
I realized a few years ago that because we were only reading “classic” children’s books out loud to our kids, we were only reading

E-Book Download Instructions
Thank you for purchasing one of my e-books! Please reach out to us via my Contact page if you have any questions, but here are
Thoughts from January 8-12, 2018
Monday, January 8, 2018 I can’t remember why we were talking about the Garden of Eden last night at dinner, but in the midst of

What I Gain from Having a Child with Down Syndrome
I had the privilege of talking with a mother who has received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome with her third child today. I told
AJB Recommends: Tattoos on the Heart and Barking to the Choir by Father Greg Boyle
I’ve listened to Father Greg Boyle speak a few different times, but I only recently read his books, Tattoos on the Heart and Barking to

Thoughts from January 1-5, 2018
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past week: Wednesday, January 3,
Thoughts from December 17-22, 2017
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Sunday, December

Love Shows Up on Christmas
How do you know that someone loves you? Whole books have been written on this subject, but I think it’s pretty simple: the people who

Thoughts from December 10-15, 2017
Once a week I compile the reflections I’ve offered on Facebook into one blogpost. Here are the thoughts from the past five days: Sunday, December

Thoughts from December 3-8, 2017
Thoughts on Advent from the Past Week & Preparing Room for God Sunday, December 3, 2017 Twelve years ago, I was pregnant with Penny at

Would You Like to Be Like Auggie Pullman?
Last Wednesday, we took the kids to see the movie Wonder. All three of them had read/listened to the book more than once, so they