Mikelle and I feel compelled to write about life with a disability, not just the challenges but the opportunities, the friendships, the innovations, and the brilliance of our communities in action as we share our everyday life living with a disability. With a little more information, motivation, we hope to share how our life is shining beautiful and maybe help you to shine beautiful, too.
And, Still We Begin…again.
And Still, We Begin I don’t know about you, but I have mixed feelings about the start of a new year.
The Friendships that Last.
Some friendships arrive quietly. They don’t announce themselves as life-changing. They simply show up — again and again — until one day you realize they
When Caregiving Becomes the Nation’s Blind Spot
A Holiday Reflection Inspired by Senator Kim’s First Speech This week, newly elected Senator Andy Kim from New Jersey stepped onto the Senate floor for
Growing Older, Growing Bolder: A December Reflection on Aging, Disability & the Gift of Longevity
December rarely slows down—not in our world, anyway. It’s a whirlwind month full of holiday gatherings, year-end planning, medical appointments, winter weather surprises, and the
Behind the Care: Families, Employment & the Hidden Cost of Possible Budget Cuts
Every November, when National Family Caregivers Month rolls around, I feel a familiar tug in my heart. It’s a mix of gratitude, exhaustion, pride, and—if
When Compassion Feels in Short Supply: The Human Cost of a Government Shutdown
Disruption The shelves may look full for now, but beneath the bright grocery store lights lies a quiet unease. The latest government shutdown has done
Mikelle’s Employment Journey—One Bracelet, One Podcast, One Dream at a Time
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)—Mikelle has been working since she was sixteen, and every year we recommit to creating inclusive opportunities for
Lessons from September’s Emergency Preparedness Month.
Be Ready September came and went with its quiet reminder: be ready. The world seems to tilt a little more each year—storms stronger, systems shakier,
When the Lights Flicker Out: Government Shutdowns, Disability, and the Unseen Cost on Families.
It is Oct 1, 2025—another government shutdown. In the quiet hours before dawn, when the world still clings to hope, a mother sits on her
Stories as Shields: The Art of Advocacy in an Uncertain Time
We live in a season of unsettled skies. The winds from Washington carry whispers of reconsideration—of HB-1 and the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, with its
The Power of Storytelling: Advocating Through the New ColoradoCommunity First Choice Program
Stories. Stories, when told truthfully, have the power to turn bureaucratic walls into open doors. They make the invisible visible. They remind us that behind
The Art of Living: How Creativity Shapes Mikelle’s World—and Ours.
Where does Art Live? Some people think art hangs quietly on a wall, waiting to be admired. But in Mikelle’s home, art hums in the