Just 24 hours ago, many of us who were spending the night anywhere in a tent in Northern New Hampshire were cursing the weather people along with Mother Nature herself. The rain was supposed to end. Cooler than normal temps meant 50 degrees but not 40. These girls pictured above not only hiked for 5… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 1
One of my favorite American novels is The Things We Carried by Tim O’Brien. In the first chapter, he writes about what they carry in their packs. Today, while hiking we teased one young lady for packing an entire jumbo box of goldfish in her pack along with a pudding cup, not her best choice… Continue reading The Weight We Carry
Independence for those of us living a wheelchair lifestyle means different things for different people. For my husband, Geoff, independence is creativity paired with accessibility. We live in a beautiful place where so much is accessible to our family, a place where adaptive programs like Eastern Adaptive Sports and New England Disabled Sports and Adaptive… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog for July 13, 2017: a Different Kind of Independence
Dear Matt, We are going to call you Matt because I currently do not have a ninth grade student named Matt; therefore, I can protect the innocent. These words in your end of year reflective essay have stayed with me for days, even weeks now. I wrote them here for this photo, and you should… Continue reading For a Broken Hearted Ninth Grade Boy
The above car is my dad’s, and he’s having a hard time letting go of her, despite not really driving this former beauty since I was a teenager. Now this rusty impersonator of a bygone era goes into storage at Arnold’s Antiques and Collectibles around November and comes out again in April. Coincidentally this… Continue reading Our Power to Attach and Release
Writer wife teacher mom is on summer vacation! Two weeks in now, and I’d like to say I’m totally relaxed, reading books by the river, watching my kids frolic with one another in the yard, “Mom, this is the best summer ever! Can we just stay home and play outside all day? ” Yeah, no,… Continue reading Summer Mother Mojo
One of my husband’s best friends is getting married next month on Lake Winnipesaukee. Knowing the hotel, they reserved rooms that would sell out quickly, I had a lovely conversation with the owner. She was eager to meet our accessibility needs. They, of course, had a ramped room available, but when I asked about the… Continue reading June 28 Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog: Universal Design All Things Great and Wide
Dear Mary Altz-Smith of Birmingham, AL, Recently, The Union Leader published your letter to the editor expressing your disappointment in the conditions of our White Mountain trails. Respectfully, many of us who actually live here actually got quite a kick out of your complaints, including this incredible group of girls we have… Continue reading For the Lady who Complained Our White Mountains are “Disgraceful,” We Beg to Differ…
Dear Daughter: Today, we visited the pediatrician for your “well child visit.” When she asked what kind of books you liked to read, I expected you to say Fancy Nancy or Junie B. Jones as that is what we are reading together. But no, you quietly responded, “Fiction,” as if being interviewed by The Yorker… Continue reading For a Daughter, Age 6
Dear Puppy Brie, You were a most special 7 year old puppy; you and Carver were “puppies” together; you were our children’s first love and first pet despite living twenty minutes away with your parents, their grandparents, Phil and Joyce. Just this past Saturday, you chased a bunch of laughing six year old girls around… Continue reading Dear Puppy Brie…
Heather Ehrman Krill: The "Write" Kind of Coach 