RECENT POSTS
![photo of a mama bear and cubs in woods](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AJB-bear-cubs-1024x402.png)
Stop and Watch the Bears
I never thought I would be a person with bear cubs in the backyard… I could watch these little ones all day. Our life is
![collage of photos of Penny on senior trip](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AJB-penny-senior-trip-1024x402.png)
Penny in Her Own Words: Senior Trip
Life for our 18-year-old with Down syndrome isn’t perfect, but it is good. Penny just spent three days with her class on their senior spring
![photo of Amy Julia and Penny standing in front of a marsh with water, grass, and blue sky behind them](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AJB-RELATIONSHIPS-MATTER-MOST-1024x402.png)
Our Love for Each Other Matters Most
What matters most is our love for each other. Yesterday I had a chance to meet with two different groups of people from around the
![dark blue graphic with intertwined blue and yellow partial circles on the left and text that says: Reimagining the Good Life with Amy Julia Becker. In the middle of the graphic is a a photo Michael Wear. On the far right is a photo of Amy Julia.](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-featured-season-71560-×-628-px-wear-1024x412.png)
S7 E15 | Bringing Politics Under the Power of Love with Michael Wear
Apple YouTube Spotify More! We are heading into another contentious Presidential election. For people of faith, for people who care about character and gentleness
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April 2024 Favorites
I’ve had a chance to read and listen to lots of people. Here’s a hodgepodge of recommendations that includes 1 book, 2 podcasts, and 3 articles I’ve appreciated lately.
![collage of photos of Hope heals and Mend Coffee](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-hope-heals-mend-coffee-2-1024x402.png)
Hope Heals Board Retreat
I have the great honor of serving on the Board of Hope Heals. What a gift to spend 36 hours with these fellow Board members
![collage of photos of Penny and two friends from Hope Heals visiting the Aquarium in Atlanta and prom dress shopping](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-highs-are-higher-1024x402.png)
The Highs are Higher
“The highs are higher and the lows are lower.” Peter and I used to say that a lot about having a child with Down syndrome.
![Screenshot of the cover of the article “Exhibit Traces ‘Unfinished Journey’ Of Those With IDD “. Lee Shervheim, left and his daughter Emie Shervheim 20, look over the exhibit "An Unfinished Journey" in the Federal Courts lobby of the U.S. Courthouse in Minneapolis. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune/TNS)](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-treatment-education-disability-history-1024x402.png)
Denied Treatment and Education?!?
“People with developmental disabilities were granted the legal right to treatment in 1974…” –Exhibit Traces ‘Unfinished Journey’ Of Those With IDD Okay, wait. I know
![photos of Penny traveling to Atlanta and posing with friends from Hope Heals Camp who are in Atlanta](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-prioritize-relationships-1024x402.png)
Prioritize Relationships
I gave our daughter Penny two choices for her senior year spring break—the Bahamas (where she has always wanted to go) or Atlanta. She chose
![photos of Amy Julia with people she connected with at the Festival of Faith and Writing](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-festival-of-faith-and-writing-connections-1-1024x402.png)
Connecting With People in Real Life | Festival of Faith & Writing
I don’t know how to capture the experience of the Festival of Faith and Writing last week. Of course, I listened to compelling speakers. And
![dark blue graphic with intertwined blue and yellow partial circles on the left and text that says: Reimagining the Good Life with Amy Julia Becker. In the middle of the graphic is a a photo Micha Boyett. On the far right is a photo of Amy Julia.](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-featured-season-71560-×-628-px-boyett-1024x412.png)
S7 E14 | How to Honor Limits in a World That Doesn’t with Micha Boyett
Apple YouTube Spotify More! What’s the difference between limitations and brokenness? What does it mean to be blessed? How can a dual diagnosis of Down
![Penny dances on stage with a scene from the Nutcracker behind her. She and two other dances wear tutu dresses and have their arms rounded and raised above their heads](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-ballet-1024x402.png)
Provide Opportunities, Assume Possibility
Penny fell behind in ballet earlier this year. During cheer season, she missed a lot of classes and rehearsals. She also (unbeknownst to me) started
![gradient blue background with geometric shapes and a speech bubble in the middle that says, "Is your daughter low functioning?"](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-low-functioning-1024x402.png)
Let’s Drop “Low/High Functioning”
I was totally taken aback the first time someone asked me if our daughter Penny was low functioning. I didn’t want to talk about any
![Penny poses inside wearing a Post University t-shirt and holding a Post University orange water bottle as she smiles at the camera](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-penny-college-1-1024x402.png)
Penny Goes to College
Most people say that kids with intellectual disabilities fall off a cliff when they turn 18 and complete their time in high school. Even though
![the eclipse framed by trees with a person looking up barely visible in the darkness](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-olivia-rodrigo-and-the-eclipse-1024x402.png)
What Olivia Rodrigo’s Concert and the Eclipse Have (and Don’t Have) in Common
On Saturday night, I took Marilee and two friends to see Olivia Rodrigo at Madison Square Garden. On Monday, I lay on a dock on
![a graphic with two photos, one of hands holding a coffee cup and one of the interior of an empty church sanctuary](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-employment-for-people-with-disabilities-in-the-church-1024x402.png)
Employment in Churches for People With Disabilities
Unemployment is one of the biggest challenges faced by disabled adults. And while there are all sorts of things we as a society can (and
![dark-tinted photo of a purple and a yellow tulip](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-training-in-love-disciples-and-crowds-1024x402.png)
Training in Love
What if the hardships we face could be seen as training in love? I’ve been reading John Mark Comer’s latest book, Practicing the Way. He
![candid photo of Amy Julia's family grouped together smiling for a selfie outside in front of a house](https://amyjuliabecker.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AJB-47-birthday-1024x402.png)
Turning 47
47 is not a milestone birthday. We didn’t have a party. I didn’t receive any extraordinary gifts. I did, however, receive a pair of the