RECENT POSTS
Penny Turns 18
Our daughter Penny turns 18 today. She’s not at home with us, as it turns out. Rather, she is at a retreat center with a
Holy Longing
Christmas is a season of holy longing. Whether we are singing along to “Holly Jolly Christmas” or “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” we are longing
When Love Shows Up
On Christmas we celebrate because love has shown up in our world. Not in some vague, abstract way. But love, in the flesh, in the
Holy Disruption
When Mary hears the message that she has been chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, Luke tells us she was “troubled.” When
My Favorite Movies and Shows in 2023
8 of my favorite movies and shows that I watched in 2023: HEROIN(E) (documentary) Heroin(e) follows three women who are responding with so much competence
Life in the Woods
There was a day when I realized that no doctor would ever emerge to say about Penny having Down syndrome, “It was touch and go
December Favorites
Here are some of my recent favorite books, a podcast, and an essay, as well as a beautiful song: 1. Novel: Machines Like Me by
Season of Waiting and Impossibility
As many of you know, my husband took a new job as the Head of School at Taft, a boarding school in Watertown, CT. His
Our Visit to the Mass General Down Syndrome Clinic
Penny and I had a great visit to the Mass General Down Syndrome Clinic on Friday. Even though I so appreciated all the specialists and
My Favorite Books of 2023
10 books I loved in 2023: NON-FICTION Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa D’Amour I’ve referred to this book again and again to remember that
My Stressful, Fun Day at NBC
Before I headed into Rockefeller Center with my friend Niro to talk with NBC News about disability and friendship, we had to prepare. The brainstorming
NBC News Now | Teaching Kids About Disability and Friendship
Watch Segment 1 Watch Segment 2 I loved being able to talk yesterday about friendship and disability with my friend Niro Feliciano on NBC News
Why Our Down Syndrome Clinic Appointment Is Worth It
Once a year, Penny and I travel to see a specialist and his team at the Down syndrome clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital. Every year,
Christianity Today: God Teaches Me Through My Daughter with Down Syndrome
Adults with intellectual disabilities can have robust spiritual lives. Are we learning from them? Every Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I join a Zoom call
Using Our Spiritual Imaginations to Envision a Good and Possible Future
I get overwhelmed easily when I think about the future, especially as Penny is about to turn 18. We need to make decisions with her
S7 E7 | How Advent Resists the Culture Wars with Tish Harrison Warren
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Holiday culture wars and consumerism bring more chaos than joy to the world. But there’s hope. The countercultural season of
Giving Tuesday
It’s Giving Tuesday tomorrow, so I thought I’d mention two organizations that we love supporting with financial gifts: Special Hope Network. This beautiful organization welcomes
How to Find Joy Even When Life Is Hard
A couple weeks ago I was talking to Jamie of Mattea’s Joy, and she asked me, “What does it mean to you to find joy
Christian Century: Worshiping at the church of Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift more or less plays on repeat when I’m driving around with our kids, so the recent arrival of The Eras Tour film, a new version
I’m a soccer mom.
I have spent the past few weeks bemoaning the hours I spend in the car, driving in circles around our local landscape. Our kids play
Failing in Front of the Kids
I played soccer for the first time in over 30 years on Monday. It was exactly the situation I try to avoid. Marilee’s team had
