RECENT POSTS
Patiently, Beautifully Wrapping Presents
Gift wrapping has never been an easy task for Penny. Typically, she’s been relegated to the background of the wrapping extravaganza in our household—handing over
Embracing the Mystery (more than the magic) of Christmas
Amidst the morning snowfalls and twinkling lights and jolly tunes, we’ve received grim news from a few different people in recent weeks. One of my
Dancing Again | Nutcracker 2024
(Keep scrolling for video!) | Our daughter Penny danced for twelve years at Fineline Theatre Arts, which included many years of performing scenes from the
From Conditional Love to Unconditional Growth
I sometimes beat myself up as a parent. In all honesty, I also beat myself up as a human, but on the parenting front, I
RNS | You will need to stay for 15 minutes to see the art
A few weeks ago, my husband and I visited Mass MoCA, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. One wing of the museum is devoted to
Truths From “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”
We went to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever as a family a couple of weeks ago. I’m still an even bigger fan of the 1980s,
Step by Step by Step | Increasing Independence
Step by step by step. For our daughter Penny, who has Down syndrome, the path toward adulthood and increasing independence involves many more deliberate and
Let’s have this conversation together.
These days, my writing and speaking are drawn to interdependence—the beauty of life together, of reciprocal relationships of love and care. Often, these relationships of mutuality (or, as Rosemarie
S8 E7 | The New Testament in Color with Esau McCaulley, Ph.D.
Apple YouTube Spotify More! How do we attend to diverse voices in our churches and society without silencing or patronizing each other? Author and professor
November Favorites {2024}
Recent favorites—a podcast and two essays—that I enjoyed in November 2024: 1. The Antidote To Not-Enoughness | Robin Wall Kimmerer. I could listen to snippets of
When Is It Time to Speak Up?
After our most recent national election, I started wondering when/whether/how I should respond publicly to politics here in this newsletter or on social media. You might
Disability’s Beautiful Complication of Human Flourishing
I’ve written a lot from the perspective of a white, affluent, educated, able-bodied, married woman about the ways in which my demographic group has rates
Culture’s Good-Life Mirage
How do we decide who has a life worth living? I thought about this question as I listened to bioethicist Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, PhD, tell me
S8 E6 | A Life Worth Living? Reimagining Life, Choice, and Disability with Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, Ph.D.
Apple YouTube Spotify More! How do we decide who has a life worth living? Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, PhD, author and professor emerita of English and bioethics
One Way Churches Can Welcome People With Disabilities
Want to make your church more welcoming? Invite individuals with disabilities to lead in reading or prayer. MORE WITH AMY JULIA: FREE RESOURCE: 10 Way
What Can We Do After the Election? Be Salt and Light
In the wake of the results of the American Presidential election, I suspect many of you feel like I do. Bedraggled and unimportant and impotent
Waiting With Hope in the Dark | Advent Devotional
With all the political divisions and election news this year, it can feel like we’ve come to the end of ourselves. We’re waiting—impossibly waiting—for our
When You Get Knocked Down: The Aerobics of Jesus
I love this imagery of the aerobics of Jesus from my conversation with Rev. Corey Widmer. If you try to mend broken things and get
How to Respond to Election Results
Today is Election Day here in America. For some of us, the last few months have made us want to plug our ears and run
S8 E5 | How to Be Christian During Election Season with Corey Widmer, Ph.D.
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Â Political divides don’t just disappear after elections. If you long for a hopeful way forward, this conversation is for you.
“My Vote Makes a Huge Difference”
Does this election matter for people with disabilities and their families? Does this election matter to people with disabilities and their families? Our daughter Penny,
