Is she ready? Penny is five years old. She is starting to sound out simple words. She can identify all her letters and numbers. She can write her name and a few words. She loves school. And she has Down syndrome. Is she ready? I am planning to register her for kindergarten today. I haven’t done anything in particular to prepare. So I wonder if I’m negligent when I read articles like “Fast Tracking to Kindergarten” about toddlers who are... Read more
“Sex Trafficking of Americans: The Girls Next Door” is a disturbing article in Vanity Fair about the young (very young) girls who are bought and sold for sex. And this isn’t just happening overseas. The article focuses on two girls in Connecticut who found themselves trapped in a system of abuse and drug use until the police got involved. “Our Daughter’s Down Syndrome Has Taken Us on a Beautiful Journey,” a sweet essay by a father about his 14-year old... Read more
As you may have noticed, the title of this blog is Thin Places, and the subtitle reads, “Amy Julia Becker on faith, family, and disability.” You could use the Venn diagram to place most of my posts in at least one of those categories– every week I try to make sure that at least one post covers a topic related to the Christian faith, to our family, and to disability, whether personal or in a more broad way. I read... Read more
If you had walked into our bedroom this morning, you would have found me sitting in the middle of our bed. My eyes were closed, my legs crossed in what yoga practitioners call “half-lotus” (and what my children call “criss-cross applesauce”). I was using “ujjayi” breathing, something I also learned from yoga. My hands rested on my knees, palms up. It would have been easy to assume I was meditating. But I wasn’t. I was praying. I’ve written before about... Read more
I have a new article on Christianity Today’s website, “A Christian Response to Overpopulation.” I’m particularly interested in your response to the readers’ comments. For instance, is any talk about overpopulation racist in nature? What responsibility do humans have in “controlling” childbirth and family size? How do we understand God’s care for the earth and God’s promises in light of poverty and human suffering? What practical suggestions would you offer in response to this article? It begins: There was an... Read more
“Mary Frances, what is wrong with your hair today? It looks so weird, you really need to do something about it.” Ah, nothing like going to work and getting beauty advice from a seven-year old. Is this why I suffered through graduate school? In my work with countless children as a speech-language pathologist for over a decade, I have heard and seen it all. When I finished graduate school and decided I wanted to work with children instead of adults,... Read more
My husband Peter is a runner. Five miles is a short run. He runs half marathons. He’s training for some ungodly number of miles on sand later in the summer. He does a grueling track workout once a week. He loves running. And he generally runs at a pace of 7 minutes per mile or so. I am not a runner. Three miles is about what I can handle, and it takes me about 35 minutes (almost, but not quite,... Read more
I’m not really losing my religion. Just seemed like a catchy title. In fact, I’m in far greater danger of losing my faith than my religion. When I use the word “religion,” I mean the theology behind Christianity as well as the external cultural practices associated with it. Theologically, I’m more or less the same as I’ve always been. I can recite the Apostle’s Creed without problem. I affirm the tenets of “orthodox” Christianity: that God is a Triune God,... Read more
Five years ago, I sat in a theater watching little girls in tutus with tears streaming down my face. My response emerged in part from pride—my sister was the director of the dance studio and the girls were doing a beautiful job. But sadness lingered underneath those tears. Our daughter Penny was five months old. She had Down syndrome. And I couldn’t imagine her ever being able to do what those little girls were doing. That memory had faded until... Read more
Penny started taking ballet lessons in the fall. She learned the moves and the terms to go with them—plie, bouree, releve. Throughout the year, Penny performed in countless living rooms, singing every word and dancing every step of “Magic Tutu” in preparation for the big day, her recital. Last Friday was dress rehearsal. It was a tragedy of errors. First, I decided to let Penny ride the van home from school so we arrived at the auditorium two minutes late.... Read more
Thin Places-Faith, Family and Disability
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In