Blighted
“The blight’s takin’ her slow, limb by limb,” said the man with the saw, flanneled arms crossed, looking at the pear tree with its hard and gnarled fruit, some naked, … Continue Reading Blighted
Poster Child
It’s that time a year again. Another Labor Day is coming, a time when I have tended, for most of my life, to reflect upon my own reflection, to look … Continue Reading Poster Child
Progress on My Memoir
This isn’t working. On the fifth Thursday of July, I was supposed to be giving a progress report on the writing of my latest book. But I really don’t have … Continue Reading Progress on My Memoir
Rooted
Rooted. A nice way of saying “stuck.” This tree is stuck, it cannot move unless a force shall blow, or chop, it down dead. Never roaming to distant lands, or … Continue Reading Rooted
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
Envy
It was naptime in the church basement kindergarten, and I was lying on my little mat looking through the spokes of my wheelchair at the dimly lit figures of Julie … Continue Reading Envy
Flared Teeth and 7 Years of Blogging
This is going to sound sadder than it really is. In fact, it’s not sad at all. It’s just life. And life is terribly beautiful. When I was a baby, … Continue Reading Flared Teeth and 7 Years of Blogging
As Autumn Leaves
The mask of bright-leafed gaiety drops away and displays the bare truth, vulnerable and thin without the show of exuberance. Let’s not pretend, you and I, that life is easy … Continue Reading As Autumn Leaves
The TV Interview
I was on global television. (Gulp.) I’m overwhelmed and thankful to have been given this amazing opportunity to share my faith in Divine Love Incarnate! (Credit my family and friends … Continue Reading The TV Interview
The Little Flower and Big News
I wonder… If television were available in her day, would St. Thérèse of Lisieux have appeared on TV? (There’s a reason for this wondering. Keep reading.) Since she was a … Continue Reading The Little Flower and Big News
A Nation of Hope
Whenever Labor Day comes around, I always think of my time as a Poster Child for my local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, which then leads me to think … Continue Reading A Nation of Hope
Saints with Disabilities
Saints intercede to bring about miraculous cures for people with disabilities — they don’t have disabilities themselves. Right? Wrong. “It’s not like people with disabilities are usually known for feeding … Continue Reading Saints with Disabilities
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
March for Life, March for You
You were once a zygote. The moment that you were conceived, spermatozoon fertilizing ovum, the genetic foundation that identifies you as you was established. You were living life while smaller … Continue Reading March for Life, March for You
Merry Christmas
Having been sick the week before Christmas, I missed my extended family’s annual Christmas gathering, Midnight Mass, and sleep. Thankfully, I had recently been with those members of my family … Continue Reading Merry Christmas
