Thoughts from My Corner of the World
This post is about the insidious ways we silence others. While scrolling through my FB feed a few weeks ago, an ad for a new movie, Women Talking, popped up. The movie is based off the earlier book written by Miriam Toews. I watched the trailer, did some research, and quickly ordered the book from... Continue Reading →
If you've been following my writing you may be aware that I am focusing a good portion of my writing exploring the theology of disability. The subject of disability and the real-lived experience of the disabled naturally leads us to ask questions such as: What is the purpose of their suffering? Does every disabled individual... Continue Reading →
Vickie celebrated her 71st birthday a while ago. Wouldn't the medical prophets from the past be surprised to discover how wrong they were in calculating the length of her life. I read somewhere that living-things thrive to continue to be alive. The will to live is a powerful force. A month before her birthday I... Continue Reading →
Playing House The milk separator was spinning and loudly clanking in the corner of the room doing its magic: separating the rich, delicious cream from the milk. The watery substance left behind (sold in today’s market as skim milk) was tossed out to the pigs. Vickie and I were playing house. I was six or... Continue Reading →
Weaker and Stronger I was trapped. I stretched my little hands as hard as I could, trying to swat at the ants swarming all over my face. My head was stuck on the other side of the headboard in the bed I shared with my sister Vickie. We were very young. I was a toddler,... Continue Reading →
Bad theology keeps us up at night! I've spent years sorting through the reasons given for suffering. Several years ago I wrote briefly about what I called a child-like theodicy. I described how my older, disabled sister and I tried to make sense out of why she was born with cerebral palsy. We knew in... Continue Reading →
What do you see? "See it," she asked in an excited voice, bubbling with glee! "See what?" I asked, quickly scanning the small screen on my phone for clues. I noticed her silver cup in the blue, cleverly designed swivel device. Years ago when she first moved into this new facility she was too shy... Continue Reading →
Jesus Wept My nickname as a child was brenda-bawl-baby-nuss. My middle name is Jo, but bawl-baby prevailed. Often when caught in a crying-fit, usually at the dinner table, my dad would sing out: "Bawl-baby, Brenda. Bawl-baby, Brenda." Perhaps this was a father's misguided attempt to humor me into a state of calmness. It never worked.... Continue Reading →
Gift of Outdoors If she could, my sister Vickie would spend most of her time outdoors. She's an animal lover and a tree-hugger! If you have spent much time with her you might conclude she's a sun-worshipper, too! Oh, don't mistake her for a pagan (whatever that even means)! My sister has a better handle... Continue Reading →
In A Tale of Two Churches, Pt 2, I wrote about Zion Chapel, a church in Axtell, built in 1931 to be accessible for all disabled persons, decades before the ADA regulations of 1990. I thought this in itself was remarkable, and indeed it was. But then I learned something more today that expands on... Continue Reading →