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.

a picture of a mountain top with storm clouds rolling in a starburst shaped frame.

When the Storm Rolls In: What Happens When Systems Are Tested

Mikelle and I love living in Colorado. The weather changes quickly here. From our vantage point just east of the mountains, we can watch a thunderstorm take shape—clouds gathering in the early afternoon, rising and building until they tower 50,000 feet into the sky within just a few hours. Sometimes

water color of mountains in summer with a photo of an old rustic cabin in the center

When the Budget Tightens: I remember those that came before me.

Change The winds of change have arrived this March, along with summer temperatures. Out here in Colorado, we know something about change. From the weather to the headlines, it seems everything is changing and probably is where you live, too. A clear morning can turn into a towering thunderstorm by

Pink background with stars and a picture of a springtime mountain and valley with a graphic of figures holding hands.

Building a Community that Outlasts Us

There are gatherings that feel like endings. And then there are gatherings that feel like standing high above tree line in the Colorado Rockies — where the air is thin, the sky is unreasonably blue, and you suddenly understand how small you are and how connected you have always been.

Love is not naive. Gratitude in not denial. And, joy is not disengagement.

Complicated….perhaps. February refused to come in gently. Here in Colorado, winter has been as evasive as a good news story. Still, we love. And yet, loving ourselves in uncertain times can feel complicated. Many families, caregivers, and advocates are carrying a quiet tension this year. Funding landscapes are shifting. Policies

Three women including Maryann, Katherine and Liz holding up their paintings of the Colorado mountains and the skyline of Denver at sunset.

Love as a Creative Practice in Uncertain Times

February arrives quietly, carrying the language of love into a world that still feels unsettled. This is not the easy love of cards and flowers, but the steadier kind—the love that stays when systems strain, when grief lingers, and when the news refuses to soften. In traumatic times, loving ourselves

Still Working. Still Believing. Still Building Opportunity.

And, still laughing. There’s a particular kind of laughter that shows up when people have lived through enough systems change to know two things at once: that the work matters deeply—and that taking ourselves too seriously won’t get us very far. That spirit framed our recent conversation with Cary Griffin,

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. Some years feel like an adventure waiting to happen. Mikelle may have opportunities just over the horizon—new ideas, new connections, new ways to grow her

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 helped shape who you are and what you believe. This holiday season, as we gathered for Secret Santa with the Shining Beautiful team and shared

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 the first time—and instead of policy talking points, he spoke about the personal and financial cost of caregiving. It landed like truth ringing across a