I Want to Celebrate Aging
I want to celebrate aging. I’m 47 years old, and I want to embrace the signs of age—freedom to be in this face and this body. I want to get…
Supporting Penny’s Goals
I used to be afraid to set goals for our daughter Penny, who has Down syndrome. It felt like if we didn't meet those goals, we would be passing judgment…
What advice would you give someone who is trying to make a plan for their future?
Penny and I did a presentation together at Hope Heals Camp about taking steps to plan for the future. If you want great advice and info from an 18-year-old who…
Online Course Now Available
After our daughter Penny was born and diagnosed with Down syndrome, I felt as though I could no longer imagine our future as a family. The messages I had heard…
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…
The Distinction Between Brokenness and Limitations
When Penny was young, I was wrestling with questions like, “What does it mean to be human?” And a friend of mine said, “You know, brokenness and limitations are not…
Penny in Her Own Words: Senior Prom
We’ve been talking about senior prom all year long, and I wasn’t sure whether the event itself would be a letdown after so much anticipation. But here’s what Penny, our…
Prioritize Relationships
I gave our daughter Penny two choices for her senior year spring break—the Bahamas (where she has always wanted to go) or Atlanta. She chose Atlanta because going to Atlanta…
Provide Opportunities, Assume Possibility
Penny fell behind in ballet earlier this year. During cheer season, she missed a lot of classes and rehearsals. She also (unbeknownst to me) started sitting out of the rehearsals…
Let’s Drop “Low/High Functioning”
I was totally taken aback the first time someone asked me if our daughter Penny was low functioning. I didn't want to talk about any human in terms of how…
