How to Navigate the Pressures of Modern Family Life
Our front hall table is still covered in holiday cards. There are the uber-organized people who sent their cards at Thanksgiving, then the steady stream of happy faces that arrived…
Family Formation: What is “the good life” for our children?
I loved getting to speak yesterday at Church of the Incarnation in Dallas about Reimagining Family Life. Our topic for their Family Formation evening was: What is “the good life”…
Discouraged and Stuck? Let’s Reimagine!
I have felt discouraged and stuck. If I looked back through my journals, I’d find similar feelings detailed over the years, but that statement isn’t mine. A parent of a…
Our Story: Down Syndrome, Identity, and Love
I was scared when I found out our oldest daughter, Penny, had Down syndrome. My husband Peter and I were 28 years old, and we weren’t prepared to welcome a…
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…
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…
2014 | Photo by Phil Dutton
I’m Working on a Video Teaching Series About Disability and Family
Sometimes the future comes at us like an assault. A tornado of unanswerable questions that suggest chaos is about to ensue. That’s what it felt like when Penny was diagnosed…
Family Hikes Are Like Family Itself
At least one of them complains every single time. Whether it is a stroll by a river or a hike up a mountain or something in between, the thought of…
When One Child Needs More Attention
I’ve been receiving some great questions from readers lately, and I wanted to share my answers to some of the questions that might apply to lots of us. Here’s the…
Overheard on the Trail: Best Brother
“You’re my only brother. But you’re the best brother.” We took a hike as a family over the winter break. It was mostly up a small mountain, and Penny struggled…
