RECENT POSTS
Mothers Can Pass Along Belovedness
What if, as mothers, we believed our own belovedness and passed that belief along to our daughters? I really appreciated Alexandra D’Amour’s essay for the
Finding Peace in the Midst of the Storm
When I’m home with a sick kid for the third week in a row, when Peter and I repeat the same conflict week after week,
Down Syndrome Through the Ages
How did ancient cultures treat people with Down syndrome? Researchers just discovered the remains of a few babies with Down syndrome from thousands of years
COGNOSCENTI | Why our family still makes time for church on Sundays
“On Sunday mornings, our family does something unusual. We wake our three teenagers earlier than they want, shower and dress up a little bit, and
Penny’s Senior Night as a Cheerleader
If you had told me when she was born that our daughter with Down syndrome would be a Varsity cheerleader at our local high school,
S7 E 10 | Disability and the Language We Use with Andrew Leland
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Is blindness an incidental characteristic, like hair color? Or is it an identity? What language should we use to talk about
How to Talk With Siblings About Disability
How should I talk with my typically-developing kids about a brother or sister who has a disability? As the mother of an 18-year-old with Down
Applying to the Emerging Pathways Program
Penny just submitted her application for an “emerging pathways” program on a local University campus. She spent hours filling out the forms and working on
Reimagining the Good Life. Disability. Faith. Culture.
Reimagining the Good Life. Disability. Faith. Culture. After months and months of conversation, that’s where we’ve landed as a concise way to invite people to
Reimagining Lent
Today is the first day of Lent, the church season of preparation for Easter. It’s a good time to reconsider this faith. For me this
Reimagining the Good Life Podcast
Apple YouTube Spotify More! This podcast has a new name: Reimagining the Good Life. If you’re asking, “Why a name change?” and “Why now?”—I have
If You’re a Parent Who Has Received a Hard Diagnosis About Your Child
If you are a parent who has recently received a hard diagnosis about your child, I have three thoughts that I want to offer. One,
The Disability Community Needs Grandparents Like These
I spoke with the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress Grandparents support group this week by Zoom, and what struck me most was that they all just
When Gratitude Interrupts
Last week, everything fell apart. Marilee got Covid, which came with a fever approaching 105. The car broke down and needed to be taken in
S7 E8 | The Gifts of an Evolving Faith with Sarah Bessey
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Is faith something that should always stay the same? Or is it something that evolves by necessity? Sarah Bessey, author of
Being Heumann
Can you imagine being denied the chance to even apply for a job? A job that you’re qualified for and that you’ve studied for and
Disability and Suffering Are Not the Same
Disability and suffering are not the same. I was so disappointed to read John McWhorter’s misunderstanding of disability in the NYT. He wrote: “To say
Helping Kids With Disabilities Move Toward Independence
For the moms who feel like they aren’t doing enough to help their kids (with disabilities) move toward independence, here are a few things I’ve
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