I met my parents when I was seventy-two hours old. That’s not how most parent-child relationships start, but this was no ordinary story. Instead of months of pregnancy, my parents experienced years of attempting to adopt. Instead of hours of labor, they spent hours in the car, racing to a...

This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. We’ve all uttered those words at some point, but for a while they basically became my mantra. This morning I read through some old posts and journal entries from the days (ahem, months) following Joey’s Down syndrome diagnosis,...

A few months ago, my family of five pale Ohioans spent an afternoon at Daytona Beach. The conditions were perfect: the sun shone without melting us, the water temperature was refreshing, and people milled about without overcrowding. We set up on the beach, sun-screened ourselves, and settled in...

Sometimes we find ourselves living a life full of plot twists we never imagined. We set out on a path in our youth, certain that we know where it is headed–when the Playwright of our lives has something entirely different in mind. A broken relationship, a traumatic accident, an...

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering” (Rom. 12:1–2 MSG).

I spent much of the last six months in a deep emotional...

“The person you spend the most time with is you, so be careful and intentional about how you speak to yourself.”
Tricia Lott Williford, You Can Do This

For six years of my childhood, I competed in something called Bible Quizzing. Though this is not the time and place for a...

“Here’s what you can know for sure, beyond the shadow of doubt, no matter how you feel from day to day and moment to moment. God knows your name; you belong to him. He sees your every move, and there’s no place you can go where he won’t join you. He thinks about you, and...

We have had quite an exciting time here in this little corner of the blogosphere this week! On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to share an article on The Huffington Post encouraging parents to talk to their kids about people with disabilities. And wow, what a response it has gotten! I am...

Learning to step back and see the real enemy

When I think of my struggles with depression, I think of Claritin commercials. Because of course, right? Don’t you equate emotional turmoil with allergy meds? Seriously, though, have you seen those commercials?  People are talking,...