There were no trumpet fanfares to mark the occasion or festoon of flowers dropping from the ceiling. Nobody took a picture so that we could one day look back and fawn over the day. And had you witnessed the event you would have thought nothing of the introduction between us. It was the simplest and barest of meetings. But that is how these things go. It is only in retrospect that life’s Copernican moments are truly recognized. Such was the... Read more
My husband and I are attending a funeral today. Our dear friend’s mother died on Sunday from complications arising from surgery last week. I have no doubt that she is with Jesus, and yet I also wept with sorrow and anger when I learned the news. The faith that she is in God’s presence is a comfort, but it does not take away the pain of her absence. Ten years ago, another good friend died in a car accident in... Read more
When Sarah Palin first accepted the vice presidential nomination in 2008, I thought I should be excited that a fellow mother of a child with Down syndrome might sit in the White House. But my response to her candidacy was mixed at best. Long before she became a polarizing figure on the national scene, I wondered out loud to my husband if she was being a responsible mother, traveling the nation with Trigg in tow. Our daughter Penny, who also has... Read more
For those of you who have already read A Good and Perfect Gift, this post will seem quite familiar, as it is adapted from Chapter One. For those of you who haven’t, our birth story with Penny was featured last week on designmom.com. And whether you’ve read it or not, go to amyjuliabecker.com and scroll down on the homepage to view a scrapbook with photos from the first two years of Penny’s life. Here’s a sneak peak to the beginning... Read more
When Penny was diagnosed with Down syndrome, the doctors told us that she would have “mental retardation.” I didn’t really know what those words meant, but I imagined them as a shadow that would hover over every aspect of her development from there on. I assumed she would have trouble learning everything—from babbling and crawling to her times tables and spelling words. And early on, I was fixated upon the idea that Penny wouldn’t share my love for reading. I... Read more
A Good and Perfect Gift came out in September. It hasn’t come close to best seller status, but it is trucking right along. I had a chance to talk with a book group about it (on the phone–we were technologically incompetent enough that we couldn’t figure out Iphone’s Face Time or Skype). I’ve had a series of recent interviews and local speaking opportunities–the next few months hold a series of events in New Jersey, North Carolina, Michigan, Toronto, Washington, D.C.,... Read more
Long time readers of this blog may remember that I used to run a weekly guest post called “Perfectly Human.” The purpose of the posts was to offer first-hand experience of the common humanity of people with disabilities. I ran out of obvious contacts for a while, but recently a few people have offered their stories, and I’m so glad I get to share them with you. If you have a story of your own experience with disability that you’d... Read more
I meant to share the link to this great post by my friend Karen Swallow Prior a while back when she wrote it. Thankfully, the truths it contains are timeless. Although they boil down to “get enough sleep, it’s good for your soul,” the post is very worth reading in full: Want to Follow God? Go to Sleep. I am on my own way to sleep as I put together posts for the next couple of days. You see, Peter... Read more
Penny had surgery a few weeks back. It all went well. But in the recovery room, as Penny slept, with her hair matted to her head, an IV dripping fluid into her arm, her nurse started telling us about how the doctors often give different instructions to parents than they do to the nurses. “So then I look retarded,” she continued. Peter and I caught each other’s eye as the nurse looked away. Was she aware of what she had... Read more
As those of you with young children already know, last week was Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Penny’s teachers celebrated by inviting all the parents in her class to sign up to read. I was slated for Thursday and Horton Hatches an Egg. William soon picked up on this development, so he asked if I could come to his class the same day. I arranged it with his teacher. On the designated morning, I asked William to select a book. He raced... Read more
Thin Places-Faith, Family and Disability
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