2014
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The big news of the week in my world is World Down Syndrome Day, celebrated today because the technical name for Down syndrome is Trisomy 21. Trisomy means three-chromosomes. People with Down syndrome have three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the typical pair. Thus, 3-21. ...
Every week, I read heartwarming stories about Down syndrome: homecoming kings and queens, young men and women going to college, starting businesses, becoming models and actors, running marathons. And every week, I read horror stories about Down syndrome: rape that only becomes ...
People sometimes ask me what I've "done right" with Penny. They ask because Penny reads and goes to ballet class and practices piano and orders her own meal when we eat at a restaurant. They ask because she is "high functioning." I suspect many people ...
It's a bright Sunday afternoon at the park. My youngest daughter Evangeline giggles in an adaptive swing while her dad dutifully pushes her back and forth. We adopted Evangeline, who has Down syndrome and autism, from Ukraine. Elaina and Zoya, our two older girls, with ...
When Penny was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth, I was sad and scared. The sadness and the sorrow dissipated with time, replaced by joy and hope. One of the reasons I began to have joy and hope for this baby I loved was because I began to believe that she wasn't ...
If you only have time to check out two articles this week, I highly recommend the first two--both related to disability. One is the hard and sad story of men with intelletual disabilities who were virtually enslaved by a turkey processing company. The other is a delightful ...
A few years back, I was talking with a Christian friend about what spiritual principles we should invoke when we think about spending money. "I just wish there was a formula," she said. "I wish I had some dos and don'ts every time I walked into Target." ...
I am packing to go on a short vacation with my husband. I have been thinking about this time away all winter—three nights for just the two of us in Florida when I join him on the end of a business trip. Three days of sunshine. Three days of walks on the beach and calling ...
Peeking out from my living room window, I see one of my sons chucking a snowball at a neighbor who has Down Syndrome.
This could be disconcerting for some moms, I know, but not this one.
It's February in North Carolina and, after a rare snowfall, the friendliest snowball ...
A few weeks ago, Jerry Seinfeld appeared on The Tonight Show. His five-minute comedy set included a joke comparing inept postal workers to the "mentally handicapped." (See Mark Leach's gracious post about this incident for more information and analysis of it.) ...
I've been in bed with what has turned out to be a sinus infection for most of this week, which leads to a somewhat fuzzy brain and lots of time for skimming articles. So here are a few you might enjoy:
Faith
"We cannot attain the presence of God because we're ...
Soon after our daughter Penny was born and diagnosed with Down syndrome, I started to ask questions about the spiritual implications of her disability. To give a glimpse of some of the questions I was asking, here's an excerpt from our time in the hospital, as related ...
A few weeks back, I was stuck inside with all three kids on yet another snow day. All of them wanted to be entertained. None of them wanted to play the same game. In an attempt to avoid a battle and to push off yet another hour of screen time, I agreed to play three games ...
At 5:00, my oldest daughter Penny finds me in bed. Cough drop wrappers, a used tea bag, and Dayquil packets surround me. "Come on up, sweetie," I say, and she climbs in next to me.
She has brought her spelling book. Her second grade assignment this week involves ...
I wrote A Defense of Lent earlier this week, and I promised to offer a few books to consider this Lenten season.
1. Love and Salt: A Spiritual Friendship in Letters (Loyola Press) began as two friends committed to write each other letters throughout the season of Lent. ...
2015
