I wrote the following in January of 2015. Even then, the battle was far from new. Autistic people and those who love them have been fighting to end this desperately inhumane form of torture for YEARS. Please, please get involved. At the end of the post, you will find quick, concrete ways to make your … Continue reading
payback
{image is one of my favorite photos of my dad and Brooke together. They have their arms behind each other’s backs and are both smiling.} Not long after we moved into the apartment complex, we ran into a young lady from Brooke’s school. She couldn’t have been sweeter, and was thrilled to find out that … Continue reading
still a rose
I was recently part of a conversation in which another parent recently said, “I️ don’t want my child to know about their disability because they have to learn to make it in the real world.” I hear this sentiment quite a bit, and every time, I respond with some version of, “I believe, with every … Continue reading
for the love of mo
There’s a wonderful little market not too far from where we live. Along with some every day staples, they carry a wide variety of really eclectic foods from all over the world. The small shop is as much a feast for the eyes as the belly, with a dizzying array of goodies from everywhere imaginable. … Continue reading
dr. king’s love
{image is a photo of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. January, 1929 – April, 1968} Today, as we honor the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we read his words in a context that feels in many ways to be no less fraught, no less complex, no less urgent … Continue reading
worth
. There are just so many parts of this that are so egregiously wrong; it’s hard to know where to begin. But in the midst of it all, there’s one thing that I just have to say, eloquence be damned .. . There is no hierarchy of humanity, no test that one must pass to be … Continue reading
a common goal
When Katie coughs, Brooke shrieks. It’s a visceral, reflexive, heartbreaking response. It looks, for all intents and purposes, like a reaction to a physical attack. It’s been a challenge for years. So long now, in fact, that I don’t remember a time when it wasn’t a part of our lives – the elephant in the … Continue reading
untitled
They’ve been repeated a thousand times, in a thousand different ways. The nuance doesn’t matter in the end; which groups he may or may not have actually cited is immaterial, really. Martin Niemöller was a German pastor who was arrested for defying Hitler and his campaign of hate. To this day his words stand as … Continue reading
a story told twice
{image is a photo of Brooke waiting for Big Joe to make her a balloon monkey while Katie watches.} I’m not going to lie. I’m not even going to pretend to be modest about this. What follows might be the greatest thing I’ve ever shared with you. And not because I wrote it – or … Continue reading
we are better than this
I have much to say about the events of the past few days. About the process by which this monumental piece of legislation was jammed through the House. About how some of those who voted for it admitted they hadn’t even read it. About how none – not a single one – of those who … Continue reading
