The Good Life Belongs to the Ones who are Unimportant and Overlooked
A few years ago, I was seated next to a businessman from New York City at a fundraising dinner. I asked him about his summer plans, and he told me…
Creating Belonging Within Families
I wrote a few weeks ago about the difference between exclusion, tolerance, inclusion, and belonging. Generally, when I think about belonging, I’m thinking about institutional spaces. I’m wondering whether our daughter Penny, who…
Reimagining the Dream of a Family Bike Ride
(Scroll down for a great video!) Does it matter whether your child ever learns to ride a bike? Does it matter if your child never joins a family bike ride?…
Teens, Screens, and Summer
When we turn the corner to summertime, I sink into gratitude for slower days and longer evenings, for hydrangeas and peaches, for more time together as a family. I also…
2008
Sometimes Holidays Are Hard for Kids With Disabilities
Public Service Announcement for friends and family members: sometimes holidays are really hard for kids with disabilities. There’s the problem of sensory overload, with crowded spaces and special foods and…
Penny in Her Own Words: Dance and Dedication
What values are important to you? Penny recently thought about that question, and I love her answer—and that it’s connected to dance! (Scroll down to hear Penny read her answer.)…
Fear of the Future and Finding Goodness
I expected to need tissues on the day Penny finished high school. I expected a sense of deep loss, and perhaps even dread about what lies ahead. For many kids with…
Penny in Her Own Words: Graduation and the Future
Penny is a high school graduate! Here are her reflections on graduation day and the future: I can’t really believe you have finished your final year of high school! How…
25 Years of Marriage
Twenty-five years ago today, Peter and I stood in a big white church in front of over 200 people. We vowed to have and to hold one another, to love…
Penny’s Final Dance Recital
I never ever imagined Penny would dance for twelve years. I knew dance was a good activity for her as a little kid with Down syndrome. It rewarded repetition. It…
