Clik here to view.
On Learning to Love a Tow Truck
If you’ve read anything I’ve written this year, you know that Jack, my autistic eleven year old, loves the movie Cars 2, and I don’t. I’m a grown man and a Pixar apologist (there should be a badge for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Autism, Fatherhood, and the Lure of Isolation
There was an article in the Boston Globe last week about how men tend to let friendships slip away over time. The resulting loneliness has dramatic implications on our physical health, to say nothing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Let This Carry You
Sunday afternoon, our whole community showed up to support him. Monday evening, he melted down again. Anxiety attacks have haunted Jack nearly every day this month. They’re not temper tantrums. Rather,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“When I was Young I Knew Everything”
It was twenty years ago. A lifetime. We were walking the streets of Manhattan late in the evening after a Broadway Show. There were ten of us — seven graduating seniors from a tiny Christian school in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Autism and the Gift of a Metaphor
There were fingerprints all over the screen, and the NBA Finals game was about to start. I tried to scrub them off, but they were sticky. “Jack, this is gross. You’ve got to stop touching the screen,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Autism, Anxiety, and Stillness (A Letter to Jack)
Dear Jack, I heard your footsteps at midnight last night, fast and frantic. They took you to the sofa in the dark. I found you there and asked if you were okay. “Did you have a bad dream?” You didn’t...
View ArticleWhen we Can’t Carry them In Anymore
Our church’s special needs classroom used to be a safe haven for my autistic son, Jack. It was a respite for him; a twenty-third Psalm reprieve from the throng of kind, caffeinated congregants hoping...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Letter to my Autistic Son on his 12th Birthday
Dear Jack, You’re turning twelve today, and that brings me all kinds of feelings. It brings happiness, because you’re growing taller and stronger; not as cute but more handsome. It brings sadness, for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shallow Sleep and Slow, Deep Breaths
It’s early in the morning, and I’m sitting in my living room when I should still be in bed, because Jack’s OCD overtook our night again. This has been happening for weeks now. Our boy is twelve and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Things that Make You Brave (A Letter to Jack)
Dear Jack, On this day one year ago, your mom and I put you into a hospital gown, and you let us do it. You knew what was coming. We had talked about it for weeks. Then, a nurse came and poked you, and...
View Article
