title: Normal Curve V
The image of the children is from a photo session at a Down syndrome support group we attended early in Emily's life. The other images in the collage are probably recognizable. There is a sense, for me, that there are parts of life that are easy to not notice. What people are able to do together, how God connects with life, faith, fear, hope are all related thoughts. One thing I hope art can do is to help consider these things we are aware of, but do not fit some other ways of thinking easily.
still my earlier story —
"I don't believe that anymore. I don’t know what a New Earth and New Heaven will be like, but the Jesus who says Heaven belongs to children will ask me to change more than he asks Emily. She is closer, somehow to that place than I am.
That is not to make her fundamentally different than I am. That would take away the real gifts she has to offer and it simply is not true. She will also struggle with good and bad and self-centeredness and all the rest, but I do think she is closer.
And I think I need to learn from her. That doesn't mean using my intellect to think about her. I need to learn what she knows and I can only do that by watching and listening carefully."
That’s the story.
1-introduction
2-three chromosomes
3-Emily's birth
4-normal
5-normal
6-normal
7-fixing Emily
8-differences
9-difference
10-hope and fear
11-story about evil
12-story continued
13-changing
14-tears
15-Anna
16-friends
17-unexpected grace
18-indigo bunting
19-god's work
20-links
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