What Olivia Rodrigo’s Concert and the Eclipse Have (and Don’t Have) in Common
On Saturday night, I took Marilee and two friends to see Olivia Rodrigo at Madison Square Garden. On Monday, I lay on a dock on a lake in the Adirondacks…
Turning 47
47 is not a milestone birthday. We didn’t have a party. I didn’t receive any extraordinary gifts. I did, however, receive a pair of the softest pajamas I’ve ever known.…
What Happens with Three Days Away with Your Teenager
I’ve never taken a mother-daughter trip with Marilee before. But this year over spring break, Marilee and I spent four nights together in Jamaica. I was a little worried we…
World Down Syndrome Day 2024
Happy World Down Syndrome Day! Our daughter Penny is 18, and we join thousands of other people around the globe who want to raise awareness about Down syndrome today. First,…
Two-Year Anniversary of To Be Made Well
Do you want to be made well? It’s a question that Jesus asks, but it’s also a question we can ask ourselves. Whether we are talking about our bodies, our…
3 Ways to Interact With Your Disengaged Teenager
We now officially have three teenagers under our roof. Which means we have lots of pop music playing at all hours. And we go through more snacks than we do…
Penny’s Final Night of Cheerleading
I don’t know why I wasn’t weepy with Penny’s final night of cheerleading. Maybe I’m in total denial that her time in high school is coming to an end. Maybe…
Changing Prepositions (from “for” to “with”)
As a part of an ongoing desire to honor Penny’s capacities as an adult with Down syndrome, I’m learning to change my prepositions. I keep catching myself talking about things…
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 New York Times about toxic…
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 drive seven minutes up the…
