Stepping Off the Ladder of Comparison
I’ve been writing about Penny for a long time now. Along the way, I’ve often written of her accomplishments. The cuteness of hearing her pronounce “medium-hard words” when she asked…
Photo by by Ashley Monogue
“They aren’t special needs. They are human needs.”
“They aren’t special needs. They are human needs.” My friend Jay Wolf gave this beautifully concise explanation of why the term “special needs” is problematic. To say that his wife…
Screenshot of the cover graphic for the "We've Lost the Plot" essay in the Atlantic
Forgetting our Humanity
“‘The propagandist’s purpose,’ Aldous Huxley observed, ‘is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.’” This quotation came from an essay in the…
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 nights with Penny’s friend Rachel…
Heroin(e): We Are All Broken and Beautiful
I’m lying in my bed today because I just had oral surgery. It’s not a big deal, but the anesthesia wipes me out, and it is possible that I will…
Image courtesy of Canva Pro
Please Don’t Call Anyone Low-Functioning
I’ve been trying to figure out why it bothers me to hear people described as “high functioning” and “low functioning.” The other day, a friend of mine mentioned that a…
S5 E18 | Living as a Person in a Technological World with Andy Crouch
How do we reclaim personhood and relationships in a technological world? Andy Crouch, author of The Life We’re Looking For, talks with me about technology and what it means to…
A Glimpse of Heaven
I did not expect to catch a glimpse of heaven in a TIME magazine article about food waste. But then I started reading about Massimo Bottura, a world-renowned chef who…
Loves Looks to Move Towards One Another
My friend’s son was whistling in class. The other kids were annoyed. Another friend’s daughter drools a lot and other kids think it’s “gross.” Some kids smell bad. Others make…
Meritocracy Is the Antithesis to Love | Plough Essay
Meritocracy is the antithesis to love. I first wrote those words almost two years ago, when we were traveling cross-country and we were taking regular hikes as a family. On…
