Back in 1964, I was born with a rare condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. The doctors predicted I’d never live, and if I did live, I’d never walk, and even if I did both those things, I’d certainly not have a normal brain (“mentally retarded” is the term they used). Wrong. Wrong. And wrong again.…

Many years ago, I spent my summer babysitting a three-year old and a seven-year old. And one day I took them to the pool. I don’t remember what happened to make the three-year old, a little girl with long curly blonde hair, erupt in tears. I just know that once she started wailing, I picked…

“Tell me a story ’bout William was born,” Penny said in the car this morning. “Well, two years ago, my belly was really really big.” “Baby in your belly?” William chimed in. “Yep, but that time the baby was you!” “Oh.” (He looks very serious whenever he says oh.) I went on: “My belly was…

William turned two on Saturday. He spent most of last week getting ready. “It’s William’s birt-day! Two years old! Presents and choc-o-late cake!” The day itself lived up to any and all expectations. It began with Penny and William “helping” me bake the cake.  And then, for the party itself, William’s uncle showed up on…

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Amy Julia Becker

Amy Julia Becker writes about theology, disability, family, and culture. Two major life experiences have shaped her writing and her faith—caring for her mother-in-law as she battled cancer and welcoming her daughter Penny into the world after she was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome. Both experiences expanded and enriched her understanding of what it means to be human and to receive each and every person as a gift.  A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, she is the author of Penelope Ayers: A Memoir, and the forthcoming A Good and Perfect Gift (Bethany House). Her essays have appeared in First Things, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Century, ChristianityToday.com, and Bloom, among other online venues.

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