Have you ever had some event that unexpectedly triggers a whole flood of memories and emotions? The other day I stumbled across an ESPN 30-for-30 episode about the University of Colorado Buffaloes football teams of the late 80s and early 90s. Under Coach Bill McCartney, the Buffaloes rose from obscurity to national prominence for a few years. Our late, special-needs son Peter was a football nut, as described in my memoir of him, He Made Us Better: A…..
As 2017 draws to a close, we start seeing TV and news articles about the “Top Ten Stories of the Year.” For me personally, my number one is a no-brainer—I wrote my first book! It’s about the life of our late son Peter, He Made Us Better: A Story of Faith, Family, Friends (and Football). As a kid, most of us imagine any number of things we might do as adults. But being an author? I really never saw this…..
Next Tuesday will be three years since our special-needs son Peter, whose story is told in my memoir He Made Us Better: A Story of Faith, Family, Friends (and Football), passed away. I’m no expert on the grief process, but I’ve learned that there’s something very different about losing a child at 39, rather than an older friend or relative at 89. Most days I think I do pretty well, and am blessed with a wealth of great memories……
Yes, you saw the title of this post correctly. While it’s a great thing to compliment your spouse, I’m talking about something different here. In my dictionary, complement means “something that completes, makes up a whole, or brings to perfection.” In my book, He Made Us Better: A Story of Faith, Family, Friends (and Football) I tell about how my wife Sandra and I worked together pretty well as a team to care for our special-needs son Peter over…..
This year was the first year that our oldest grandson, Randy, 12 years old, played tackle football. In this grandpa’s totally unbiased opinion, I thought he did pretty well (before he broke his finger). And most importantly, he had fun. But as I watched him, I often thought about our late, special-needs son Peter, and how much he would have enjoyed seeing his nephew Randy play. In our house, there’s something special about football. But Peter’s nephew…..
With the opening of the college football season, I’ve been thinking about our son Peter even more than usual. Although we both loved all kinds of football—high school, college, and pro—college was easily our favorite. The title of my new book, He Made Us Better: A Story of Faith, Family (and Football) is no fluke. Football was an integral part of our lives. I have a flood of great and precious memories, a few of which are told in…..
In August of 1995, our special-needs son Peter finally took possession of a brand new, full-sized Ford van. It was completely accessible, with an automatic lift, and had hand controls, so that Peter, who was in a wheelchair, could drive it. It also had a removable driver’s seat, so that “regular people” could drive it too. Peter couldn’t have been prouder! One Saturday evening in October, Pete’s van was sitting outside, and I went out to put it away…..
If so, maybe I can help. I’ve written a new book about my son, Peter Boone, entitled He Made Us Better: A Story of Faith, Family, Friends (and Football). Because that’s what Pete did for people, was to help them adjust their attitudes and their outlook on life. You see, Peter was born with a severe case of a birth defect, spina bifida, or “open spine.” As a result, he was paralyzed from the chest down, and was never able…..