I have three upcoming events this week that might be of interest to some of you: First, today I’ll be talking to Stephanie Riggs of 94.7 FM, KRKS in Denver, CO. The show airs at 2:00 p.m. Denver time (4:00 EST), and it lasts for an hour and takes caller questions. So please join us if you’re able! Second, on Wednesday, November 16th, Marilee and I will head up to Boston for a few nights with my aunt and uncle.... Read more
I wrote a post last week called “We’re Moving, or the Providence of God” in which I described my husband’s new job as the Headmaster of a small boarding school in Connecticut. But I never really explained what I meant by the “providence” part. I don’t think God has us in lockstep. And I don’t think God leaves us to our own devices to make decisions about our lives. There’s some mysterious interaction between God’s “will” and our will, God’s... Read more
I was having dinner with friends a few weeks back. They have an adult daughter with autism, and their daughter has also been diagnosed with a rare syndrome. My friend described her conversation with a new social worker: “So the social worker asked the name of K’s syndrome. I told her what it was, but it was clear she hadn’t heard of it before, so she struggled to write it down. Then she asked again. And then she asked me... Read more
My friend and colleague Karen Swallow Prior interviewed me about A Good and Perfect Gift for her.meneutics, the women’s blog of Christianity Today (Perfection Obsession: What It Looks Like to Accept God-Given Limitations). Among other things, our conversation touches upon comparisons, limitations, idolizing intelligence, and prenatal testing. The last question is my favorite, so I’ll post that one here, and then you can head over to her.meneutics to read more and perhaps leave a comment: You realize at some point... Read more
I can’t really believe that I’m about to write this, but I just found out that A Good and Perfect Gift has been named one of the “Top Ten Religion Books of 2011” by Publisher’s Weekly. They write: Unexamined faith is not worth having, and Becker asks the right heartfelt questions after her first daughter is born with Down syndrome, in a beautifully written and unsentimental reflection. Click here to see the whole list and read the PW review. And... Read more
I wrote last week about our upcoming move to a small boarding school in Connecticut, and I wrote about my fears related to that move, fears which focused upon Penny’s schooling. As we were contemplating the move, a friend said, “I don’t think you want to have a Penny-centered family.” We don’t want our family to revolve around Penny’s needs or around fears about her future. I shared this comment with a mother of a 30-year old with special needs,... Read more
A Good and Perfect Gift has been “out there” for about two months now, and I’ve had my first string of readings and talks associated with it (and by the way, I fixed the link to the talk about perfection from earlier this week so you can now access it). Overall, the response has been a positive one, from parents of children with Down syndrome who find points of similarity and encouragement from our story, to parents of typically-developing children... Read more
I wrote on Tuesday about missing Penny’s Halloween party. She was very forgiving, but I also agreed to come to her school to read a book to her class. As soon as I showed up, she came to the door and said, “Mom, you missed the Halloween party.” I nodded. “But I’m here to read a book to your class.” She nodded in return. “Next time don’t miss the party.” Point taken, with much thanks to all of you who... Read more
My husband has a new job. It doesn’t start until July, but he was recently appointed as Head of School at a small boarding school in Western Connecticut. In the early summer we will move to a 4,000 person town and settle down for the foreseeable future. The job is exciting. The people up there are lovely, as is the landscape. On many levels, I know our kids will love it. And yet a large part of me has resisted... Read more
Last Thursday night, I was invited to share my thoughts on the meaning of perfection in our culture at the City Church Forum in Richmond, VA. I tried to address three questions: How does our culture understand perfection? How have I—and in turn, you—unintentionally or inadvertently appropriated that cultural understanding of perfection? And what would it mean for our lives and for the church to understand perfection through God’s eyes? Click here to listen to the talk or the Question... Read more
Thin Places-Faith, Family and Disability
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