RECENT POSTS
Small Steps, Big Dreams: Permission to Assume Possibility for Our Child With Disability
Penny calls in her own prescription refills now. It’s a small detail of our lives together, but it also feels like a symbol of something
April 2026 • Worth Your Time
Books, essays, podcast episodes, and more that I think are worth your time, plus recent cultural news that I’m paying attention to in the month
From Fear to Future: How Families Plan for a Good Life with Sheli Reynolds, PhD
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST E24—”I don’t know what life can look like for my child.” If you’ve ever felt that, this episode is for
Finding Your People After a Diagnosis: Community, Disability, and Hope
We experienced a wellspring of response when our daughter Penny was born and diagnosed with Down syndrome. People showed up in prayer, meals, messages, and
Belovedness Before Achievement: Rethinking What Makes Us Matter
Penny and I checked out a Special Olympics track team last week. I’m going to write more about that experience—it’s a whole other story—sometime later
How to Find Your People When You Feel Invisible with Katherine Wolf
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST E23—The meals stop coming. The texts slow down. And suddenly you feel like you’re navigating disability alone. Friends can be
The “Glass Child” Myth: What Siblings of Kids with Disabilities Really Need
When our daughter who has Down syndrome was younger, our weeks were often filled with driving to doctor’s appointments, therapy visits, and specialist consultations. Some
Do Siblings of Children with Disabilities Struggle More? Rethinking the “Glass Child” Narrative
We went out to dinner as a family on Sunday. There was nothing exceptional about it. William told us about his European History class. We
Disability + Siblings: What the Research Says with Meghan Burke, PhD
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST E22—Is having a sibling with a disability hard on kids? Researcher Meghan Burke has spent years studying (and living) this
Why Naming Grief in Community Makes Hope Possible
Why does naming grief in community make hope possible? We often imagine hope as something we generate internally, but so much of hope is actually
Regret, Gratitude, and Middle Age: Learning to Receive the Life You’ve Been Given
No one ever told me that middle age would be marked by regret. I didn’t know the “choose your own adventure” of my upper-middle class
After Diagnosis: Grief Isn’t the End of the Story with Dr. Curt Thompson
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST E21—As the mom of a daughter with Down syndrome, I have felt my fair share of complicated emotions over these
What Was Hard Today? How One Question Can Transform Your Family’s Connection
As a family, we’ve found it’s easy to share our triumphs with each other, the things that went well in our day. But it has
The Garden at Golgotha: Finding Life and Hope in the Midst of Death
A garden grew where they crucified Jesus. I was reading the story of Jesus’ death in John’s Gospel today, and I noticed something I had
Why I’m Choosing Pro-Aging at 49
Today I turned 49 years old. Happy birthday to me! It’s been a year of feeling my age. I notice the sun spots on my
Disability + Family: What Is Good? What Is Hard? with Renee Dollenmayer
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST E20—Does your child struggle to understand who they are in a world that sees disability as a deficit? Renee Dollenmayer,
Simple Spiritual Practices for Parents of Kids with Disabilities: Finding Joy in Everyday Life
When life feels too full for one more thing, especially for parents of kids with disabilities, spiritual practices don’t need to be complicated. Here are
March 2026 • Links Worth Your Time
Books, essays, podcast episodes, and more that I think are worth your time, plus recent cultural news that I’m paying attention to in the month
