Christmas and the Hospitality of Need
REIMAGINING THE GOOD LIFE PODCAST S9 E6 — In a season of parties and entertaining, it’s good to remember that hospitality means something very different—welcoming the stranger and caring for…
The Hospitality of Need: Disability and Interdependence
TAKE THE NEXT STEP PODCAST Many of us don't want to ask for help, but what if being needful isn’t weakness but a doorway to connection, friendship, and belonging? Kevan…
Baking at Her Own Pace
Penny wants to work on cooking and baking skills this year. Usually, we are rushing around, so it is hard to let her work at her own pace. But over…
Let’s have this conversation together.
These days, my writing and speaking are drawn to interdependence—the beauty of life together, of reciprocal relationships of love and care. Often, these relationships of mutuality (or, as Rosemarie Garland-Thomson called them, complementarity1) don’t just…
Is Independence the Goal?
Every so often I get asked, “Do you think Penny will live independently?” I’ve started answering that question about my daughter who has Down syndrome by saying, “I never want…
The Disability Community Needs Grandparents Like These
I spoke with the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress Grandparents support group this week by Zoom, and what struck me most was that they all just want a good future for…
Turning 18 and Guardianship Decisions
It’s a big deal to turn 18. For every teenager, that birthday marks a transition to adulthood. For kids with disabilities, it carries even more weight, especially as it connects…
Friendship Forms Durable Hope
What do I do? People in my family received a terminal diagnosis for their child. What do I do? A woman recently emailed me this question. When I wrote her…
Interdependent Healing
My new year has started off with heavy news from multiple friends. One whose husband moved out. Another who lost her job. Another whose sister is heading to a treatment…
