RECENT POSTS
Some People Are Awesome
We’ve encountered our fair share of subtle discrimination over the years. The people who talk to me as if Penny isn’t present. The professionals who
Family Hikes Are Like Family Itself
At least one of them complains every single time. Whether it is a stroll by a river or a hike up a mountain or something
Living in Spiritual, and Therefore Material, Reality
It can seem as though the spiritual world and the material world are in tension. That we can have one or the other. We can’t
3 Things I’m (Still) Learning About Down Syndrome
Penny was on spring break last week. Our original hopes for a quick trip to Jamaica never materialized, but we did get to spend two
The Narrow Way to a Spacious Place
I’ve always felt a bit uncomfortable with Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road
S6 E17 | Questions for a Life Worth Living with Matt Croasmun
What should you hope for? What’s worth investing your life in? How do you define and create a flourishing life? Matt Croasmun, co-author of Life
Economics of Disability
As taxpayers, we pay for lots of stuff. Our taxpayer dollars pay for teachers and firefighters and road repairs and mayors and tanks and bombs
Turning 46
We celebrated my 46th birthday last week. I have a friend who holds up a sign that indicates his age in every birthday photo now.
I Love Hearing From Groups Using To Be Made Well!
I love hearing from the groups around the country who are reading and discussing To Be Made Well, and it is always a joy to
Addressing our Mental Health Crisis
I am kind of obsessed with Dr. Lisa Miller right now. I read her 2015 book, The Spiritual Child, a few months back. And then
Becoming a Culture of Belonging
How do you know if your community is a place of belonging? Professor Erik Carter has articulated ten “dimensions of belonging.” He created this model
Down Syndrome’s “Exclusive Club”
I remember a day 17 years ago when Peter and I had spent hours with Penny at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. We were exhausted.
10 Ways to Practice Resurrection
Yesterday we stood in church and sang Alleluia, and afterwards we gathered with friends and feasted and drank champagne and rejoiced with this day of
Easter| Love Is Life
Love is the strongest power. Love is the core of the universe. Love is the only unending, unshakable, permanent truth. Love is life. Love is
Hope on Holy Saturday
There is a space that stretches between despair and joy. A painful moment. Of waiting. Of uncertainty. Of fear and grief and doubt tinged with
Sitting in the Dark on Good Friday
I would like to skip Good Friday. I would like the cross to not be a part of the story. I would like to ignore
Jean Vanier and the Way of Blessing
Jean Vanier was the storied founder of L’Arche, a global movement of communities for people with and without intellectual disabilities. Vanier won The Templeton Prize.
Recording the Small Talk Audiobook
I had so much fun this week recording the audiobook of Small Talk! Small Talk came out nine years ago, in 2014, and for whatever
S6 E16 | Enchantment in an Anxious Age with Katherine May
In an anxious, rational world, is there a place for enchantment? Katherine May, New York Times bestselling author of Wintering and Enchantment, talks with Amy
The Dignity of Risk
She might cut herself. She might burn herself. She might feel lonely, sad, scared, abandoned. I have read all about the dangers of helicopter parenting,
Protecting Our Children
How can we change a culture of violence and horror and meaninglessness into a culture of freedom and protection and purpose? How are we protecting
