A friend sent me an article about a woman who had lost both her arms below the elbows and her legs below her knees. As interesting and powerful as the story was, as empowering as the woman clearly is in her day to day life, I wondered why this friend had sent me this piece… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog, January 9, 2020: “Let’s Face It…”
Merry Christmas Eve! Up until this morning, I was feeling very solid about being ready for this merriest of vacation weeks. We had survived the last week of school before vacation, skied at the mountain, caught up with old friends, finished all the wrapping, worked out some crafts, baked some cookies, watched our children play… Continue reading Just When I Thought We Had Christmas All Wrapped Up…
Dear Greta, You asked your Elf on the Shelf Snowball for a gift from the heart…with your heart being so big at 8.5 years old, this will be an enormous undertaking. You seemed very happy with your cozy, fleece Christmas blanket the morning before you kicked that older boy, not your brother, in the… Continue reading Gifts from the Heart: Body Belongings, Elves, and Tooth Fairy Criminals
When we reflect on our blessings this year, at a time when people and places around us are suffering unparalleled grief, loss and tragedy, it’s important to think about the connections that remain in humanity. The other day while walking the dog, I found myself getting irrationally angry about people littering in front of the… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog: “Thanksgiving, Kindness, Second Helpings, and Helpers,” November 26, 2019
Our son lost a tooth recently and for a few days the Tooth Fairy was super busy, battling some wind and rainstorms, forgetting to stop at our house because of the Halloween candy wreaking cavity havoc from coast to coast. But then our son said, “Mom, do you think she has really forgotten me because… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog: “In Honor of Care-giving and Flawed Parenting,” November 30, 2019
This fall has been a season of paradox. We bought a bigger house, which is amazing. However, unpacking has been anything but amazing. If I felt pressure to pack up our place as quickly as possible to meet our closing date, the pressure to unpack and find all our crap — to feel settled —… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog: “How Quickly Fall Rolls Towards Winter,” October 24, 2019
My husband Geoff is a professional skier with a T7 complete spinal cord injury but watching him ski is a little like watching an eagle soar upriver. He rips down mountains with the ease and grace and swooping arcs only a bird is capable of as very few other animals reflect smooth, carved turns in… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog: “When We Borrow Mobility,” November 1, 2019
A scientist friend recently remarked on the foliage as having an understory and an overstory. These terms had been unknown to me at the time, despite being a next door neighbor to National Forest for the last 20 years. Yet, I have not been able to stop thinking how an understory perfectly defines the forest,… Continue reading Why the “Understory” of Growing Up is Essential and Why We Need to Listen
Dear Geoff, Not for 10 minutes after your spinal cord injury did you believe your life would be any less than what it could be as a standing man. From the beginning, you believed you always have a choice about how you would live your life– even when in rehab when the psychologists wanted you… Continue reading Geoff Krill’s Letter to Self for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Campaign, October 22, 2019
Dear Heather, Knowing now what I recognize to be true — about life and love with my husband Geoff — would not have changed my decision to marry him one bit; however, if I could go back to that young woman, the one who rarely seemed tired or frustrated, the one whose own needs always… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Blog, October 9, 2019: “What I Now Know”
Heather Ehrman Krill: The "Write" Kind of Coach 