2013
Our daughter has Down syndrome. Can she live a full life?
Here's what I know... Penny has different capacities when it comes to learning, but she has no limits on her capacity to love, or to live a full life. Our…
Assumptions Without Curiosity
We just returned from two weeks in Italy as a family. It held all the things we had hoped for. We peeked into churches with some of my favorite Caravaggio…
The Big, Beautiful Bill?
As we return from vacation and I get back up to speed on the news, I’m trying to wrap my head around the implications of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” that…
Kids, Disability, and Relationships
Here’s what I wish parents of typically developing kids knew about disability and relationships: Disability isn’t a completely different experience. It’s often a magnified version of the human experience we all…
True Friendship Isn’t Built on Pity
Years ago, one of our kids came home from preschool and said, “She cries a lot and doesn’t share her toys.” Our child were talking about a classmate who had…
“You are a human. You belong here.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about belonging—what it feels like, where we find it, and how we create spaces that nurture it, spaces that say, "You are a human. You…
Photo Credit: © Camilynne Photography
The Lucky Few: Finding Delight and Belonging in Disability
When Heather Avis says she’s one of “the lucky few,” she means it. In this episode, we talk about growing up with our children with Down syndrome, what it means…
Sparkle Show
Penny decided to participate in our new church’s Sparkle Show with a friend by singing along to Taylor Swift’s Fearless. It’s no small thing that she wanted to be there,…
Parents and Caregivers of Kids With Disabilities, I Need Your Help!
I’ve had a few different book ideas percolating for a while now, and I would love your help as I work to bring the next one into the world. For…
How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse
The other day, I was talking with our son, William, who’s a junior in high school. He’s starting to think about where he might want to go to college, and…
