2010-04-20T09:18:00-04:00

So I never did get to tell you more about the Festival of Faith and Writing… Soon, I promise. For now, I’ve got a post at Patheos in response to the question: “What’s Sex Got to do with It (Christianity, that is)?” (in 100 words or less). My response: Tenderness. Ecstasy. Vulnerability. Nakedness. Desire. The Church often ignores the embodied life. The world often forgets the spiritual reality in which we have our being. Good sex brings both together, and... Read more

2010-04-19T09:36:00-04:00

I returned last night from Calvin College’s Festival of Faith and Writing. And I’m marking my calendar for 2012. It’s a wonderful conference. I heard great speakers, including Scott Cairns, Mary Carr, Eugene Peterson, Sara Miles, and Donna Freitas. They disagree with each other and represent a large swath of the Christian (and sometimes not-so-Christian) tradition. They challenge me, inspire me, and comfort me. A few things they said that I’m still thinking about (and, in some cases, still disagreeing... Read more

2010-04-16T07:13:00-04:00

“A God you understand would be less than yourself.” Flannery O’Connor (The Habit of Being, 354) I was in church a few weeks ago, and during communion heard the following hymn (and I wish I could figure out how to let you hear it, but I’m not that technologically adept. Click here to hear a portion, and I highly recommend buying it, and then listening to it as you read the words): There’s a wideness in God’s mercy like the... Read more

2010-04-15T08:51:00-04:00

“Almost any spiritual writer ought to wear thin for you. It’s like reading criticism of poetry all the time and not reading the poetry. Spiritual writers have a limited purpose and can be very dangerous, I suppose.” –Flannery O’Connor, The Habit of Being I’m headed off this morning to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for Calvin College’s Festival of Faith and Writing. I’ll get to hear writers such as Sara Miles, Mary Karr, Eugene Peterson, and Stephanie Kallos. I’m sure I’ll be... Read more

2010-04-14T06:21:00-04:00

I’m the Vice President of our local Down Syndrome Association, and we have a picnic in the spring. This year, our typical venue was booked. I volunteered the park up the hill from my home. Called the number on the sign. Went into the Parks and Recreation Office to book the event. Filled out the form. Was told I’d need to get the Clerk’s Office to approve it. Went to the Clerk’s Office. Was told I would need the Police... Read more

2010-04-13T08:29:00-04:00

I have a new post at Her.meneutics, the women’s blog of Christianity Today. It begins: We don’t watch much television in our household, but my husband and I both find ourselves wed to the computer. I was looking through a photo album with our daughter last week, and we came across one from her infancy. She’s swaddled in a pink and white striped blanket, asleep on a pillow between her dad and me. The camera, wielded by my mother, caught... Read more

2010-04-12T07:00:00-04:00

I’ve been writing fairly regularly about our family. Telling cute and inspirational anecdotes about Penny, and then there was the sweet story about Penny as William’s older sister and their beautiful relationship. Not to mention that photo of the two of them doing Ring Around the Rosie in the grass with the bucolic prep school building in the background. (See “What’s It Like to have a Sister with Down Syndrome?“) Sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest that our life is... Read more

2010-04-09T08:16:00-04:00

I’ve always loved language. I spoke early, and according to my mother, I wouldn’t speak as a child until I could say a word correctly (except for raisins, which I called “sha sha.” Go figure.). I stopped taking Science classes midway through high school so I could double up on English classes. I was an English major. I’ve written hundreds and hundreds of pages. Words matter, and they matter a lot to me. Recently, we had a discussion on this... Read more

2010-04-07T07:57:00-04:00

When I was pregnant with William, I thought a lot about what it would be like for him to have an older sister with Down syndrome. I thought about how “good it would have been” for me to have had a sibling with Downs. I assumed she would teach him things like patience, or to have less concern for social status or appearance. I guess I thought it would be a challenge for him. And maybe someday it will be.... Read more

2010-04-06T09:04:00-04:00

“Has your book been successful?” It’s a question I get asked regularly these days when I tell strangers that I am a writer। And I’m never quite sure how to respond. I could say, “No. It has sold less than 2,000 copies,” and that would be a true (although a bit of a conversation stopping) response. Numbers never lie, right? I guess it all depends on my notion of success. If it’s based on book contracts and royalties and bestseller... Read more




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