September 2013

Five Reasons I'm Glad My Husband Went Away for Twelve DaysI didn't yell at my children during the twelve days my husband was away. It was a miracle. Seriously.

Peter returned late last Thursday night after twelve days in Korea and China for work. And while I hope he never has to go away for that long again (um, honey, are you reading this?), I'm also kind of grateful that he did. Here's why:

1. I missed him terribly, starting ...

What I'm Reading and Tweeting (Sep 27, 2013)Novels, memoirs, articles about faith, disability, and culture, and what I listen to on my drive home from dropping the kids off at school...

Where I live, we don't get consistent cell phone service. Every day, I drive my kids to school for twelve minutes, and we talk and listen to music and observe the changing leaves and babbling brook. For the twelve minutes back, I used to try to listen to NPR, though the signal ...

Small Acts of Gratuitous Love: Friendship House in Durham"Our life together has already been filled with quite a bit of joyful gatherings: cookouts, magnet-making projects, cleaning alongside one another, playing card games, praying the Psalms, ping pong at Fullsteam, and most recently a baked ziti feast... It is becoming terribly clear that my flourishing is bound up in the flourishing of each of my fellow community members."

On Sept. 22, Friendship House, a home that offers Duke Divinity School students and people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD)  the opportunity to live together in community, officially opened. In each of four apartments, three students live with one resident ...

"Laughter is Carbonated Holiness"

Anne Lamott said it, not I, but I know the truth of which she speaks.

The wheels came off the vehicle that is our family yesterday. Marilee was up late and awake early. William was up for an hour in the middle of the night in eager anticipation of the tooth fairy. I was restless ...

His Face is Aglow with Hope: How the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Shaped Our Difficult Day

It is Sunday. Peter is away for the night. It has been a hard day. Marilee has a fever and an ear infection. William misses his dad and has erupted into tears more than once. Penny has been unable to control her impulses–she can't get a door to close so she slams it again and ...

What I'm Reading and TweetingThe books on my bedside table and recommended articles from the past week...

I finished reading Wonder, by RJ Palacio, which I loved. I won't take the time to review it in full right now, but it is the story of a young boy named Auggie with a severe facial deformity who enters 5th grade at a local private school in Manhattan. You can imagine what it's ...

Quote of the Week: Anne Lamott

"My pastor Veronica says, 'Peace is joy at rest and joy is peace on its feet.'"

–from Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith

Some Thoughts on Trying to Become a Super-Mom"It feels very strange, to be this mom who thinks ahead and offers relatively healthy eating options and models moderately healthy holistic habits of spirituality and physical activity and rest. Um, do you hate me yet? Because a year ago, I would have hated me."

We've gotten through our transition year. It took us four moves to get here, but we are in this house to stay. The kids are back to school and they all seem happy and well adjusted. We still have the normal ear infections and toenail cutting and sibling bickering, but all in ...

How My Children Have Helped Me Become Perfectly Human by Andi Sligh"When I became a mom, I thought my job was to mold and shape my children into their best selves. To my surprise, my children have molded and shaped me." Blogger Andi Sligh shares her journey as a mother to two children with special needs.

I was raised to achieve things.

I was a third-generation valedictorian of my high school class, like my mother before me and her mother before her. Both of my parents have master's degrees. Growing up, I was The Smart Kid, voted Most Likely to Succeed. I went to college, earned ...

Will and Kate Help the World Imagine Possibilities for People with Down SyndromeWhy it matters that Will and Kate accepted a painting by a woman with Down syndrome for their son's nursery.

After Penny was born, people kept telling me about the "amazing" things people with Down syndrome could do. A part of me liked hearing the stories–of men and women who started businesses, completed serious athletic feats, sang in choirs, played instruments, and so forth. A part ...

What I'm Tweeting and What I'm Reading This Week

The tweets:

What one mother learned from having a child with #DownSyndrome @SippingLemonade ow.ly/ozxpj #Family #Parenting

"You Can't Have It All, but You Can Have Cake" @nytimes ow.ly/oIyR6 #Choices #Success #HighSchoolNeverEnds

What does #HavingItAll mean to you? http://ow.ly/oIzoM#Success#Approval ...

Books for Spiritual Formation and EncouragementMy recommendations for spiritual reading for the whole family...

A friend recently asked for my recommendations for books that might offer spiritual formation and encouragement, for parents and children alike.

Here's what I had to say:

As for the kids, the book we have is called The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones. Very readable ...

Perfectly Human: This is What it Means to be Included by Tim FallCan a courtroom give us a glimpse of heaven? Guest blogger Tim Fall thinks so....

"This is what it means to be included."

The mother's words jumped out at me from the radio. Included.

Two year old Tatum Bakker had never been able to swing on a playground swing set until they visited Brooklyn's Playground on their way through Pocatello, Idaho. It's a playground ...

The Particular Griefs of September 11Perhaps it is that relationship between the particular and public nature of grief that our experience brings to bear upon the historic events of September 11th.

Ten years ago today, I was with my mother-in-law as she died. I watched her fight. And I watched the life leave her body.  Afterwards, the scent of lilies and lavender. A clear blue sky. A sense, if not of relief, then at least of finality. It took a long time for me to cry.

What a New Guinness Ad Has to Do with My Son and the Word IncludeWilliam asked me what it meant to include his friend. Sometimes I'm not so sure we understand it, even as adults. But here's one picture of true inclusion.

"Mom, everyone keeps using the word include, but I don't know what that word means."

I had just finished a gentle reprimand because William and his friend had refused to let another friend into their fort. "Remember, William? We always include our friends." ...

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