Abandonment
“Remain here and keep watch with me.”[i] I’m quite helpless. And I’m afraid. This Lent, as I continue to examine my struggles and weaknesses in the light of Christ, I … Continue Reading Abandonment
Agony
“Not my will.” How many times have I desperately longed for my life of progressive disability to be different? For countless hours upon hours I have agonized, with teenaged hormones … Continue Reading Agony
Ashes
I’ve never felt betrayal, but I have known loss and change. The world in which we live is terribly beautiful: here is where we experience blossoms and sunlight, as well … Continue Reading Ashes
Beyond the Comfort Zone
It feels like I’m starting a new chapter in my life story. And it’s all kind of overwhelming. Yesterday, I was interviewed about my book, It’s Good to Be Here, … Continue Reading Beyond the Comfort Zone
So Tender and Mild
I’m about to share something very personal. (And I’m a bit scared. Though I hear, “Be not afraid.”) Last Sunday, at the Mass celebrating The Epiphany of Our Lord, while … Continue Reading So Tender and Mild
It’s Happening
What I’ve wanted to do since I was a young girl, what others have expected of me since I graduated from high school, what my family and friends have encouraged … Continue Reading It’s Happening
Answered Prayers
Recently, I was telling my friend that I have difficulty “hearing” God when I pray. Often finding it difficult to make decisions in my life, I will turn to God … Continue Reading Answered Prayers
Impatients
The most abundant flowers in my mother’s garden has always been impatiens. I used to call these pretty plants “impatients.” This was when I was a child who was quite … Continue Reading Impatients
Where the Light Enters You
“There’s a crack in everything… that’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen, songwriter. I know about cracks. I suffer from a seriously disabling disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy. My … Continue Reading Where the Light Enters You
Revolution: a poem
Trees to climb up and hills to roll down. But, not for me. “It’s okay,” I tell my friends at school, “You can go down and play in the … Continue Reading Revolution: a poem
Learning Is Life
I am the girl in the wheelchair who was valedictorian of her high school class — I am smart. I say this with no bragging, because everyone is smart in … Continue Reading Learning Is Life
Are We Having Fun yet?
I have a morbid sense of time passing. This probably comes from doctors telling my parents, when I was two, that my disease meant I wouldn’t live to be a … Continue Reading Are We Having Fun yet?
The Publishing Contract
I did it! That’s what I want to write, that’s what I want to shout out from the rooftops: “I did it! I did it!!!” The sentence, however, feels incomplete. … Continue Reading The Publishing Contract
Metamorphic Metanoia
This week, continuing my summer of poetry, something a bit biographical and a bit whimsical. The story of all of our lives — if we let it be. Metamorphic Metanoia … Continue Reading Metamorphic Metanoia
What Does It Mean to Be Independent?
My mother tells me that I was conceived on the Fourth of July. She says that she remembers well the hot summer night on their back porch in the city, … Continue Reading What Does It Mean to Be Independent?
Real Men Stay
I should be dead, but I’m not. I should be a forty something-year-old in a nursing home, but I’m not. I should be miserable, but I’m not. Why? The reason … Continue Reading Real Men Stay
