They Gave Her a Chance…
With the excitement and anticipation of seventh grade starting tomorrow, I couldn’t let the weekend go by without stopping and looking back with gratitude on a season of Julia’s life fondly coming to a close. Thank you Miss Loretta!
Goodbye, Jaya
Three months ago, I got word that my friend Jaya died suddenly. As I’ve spent time pondering the sad space that has opened up, I’ve come to realize the amazing impact his simple invitation twenty-three years ago had on the trajectory of my life.
Letting Her Worship Her Way…
With all of her cognitive delays, I have often wondered if Julia truly understands that there is a God who created her and loves her. I got a relieving bit of clarity as I watched her connect at tonight’s Good Friday service.
“Is it worth it?” Right Question. Wrong Day.
It’s a great day to celebrate our friends with Down syndrome! Communities gather, selfies are taken – and hopefully that puts some gas in the tank for the seasons when it’s tougher…
Christmas Greetings
A reflection on the hope of Christmas revealed itself in the last seconds of a middle school girls’ basketball game, and some in our community (myself included) may never be the same.
Little Silhouettes
It’s Labor Day Weekend and the whole neighborhood is taking in the last days of summer. In a moment like this, it’s important to celebrate the beauty of it all. But I experienced something in community tonight that made me want to celebrate all the more…
The Shain Park Piano
Every year, the Public Arts Board decorates a donated piano and takes it to the park near the city’s center for the enjoyment of passerby. We needed a shot of someone playing the piano – and fortunately, I had a friend…
June in New York
Walking for four days at the center of the universe of street photography was one of the most intense photography learning experiences of my life. A few images of that time are within…
The Pembroke Project
I’ve gotten to know quite a few of Julia’s classmates over the nine years of her time at Pembroke Elementary School. And now they’re all headed off to Middle School. The PTA approached me asking if I could take their headshots of the kids for a memory book; but for these kids, I needed to take it to the next level.
The Day I Doubted Would Come…
Julia’s graduation from fifth grade is the fulfillment of a lot of hard work and dedication by a lot of people. But I had wondered early on if it would ever happen. Those fears – and the fears of the future – were answered in a peculiar way.