One of the interesting sub-plots in the memoir about the life of our special-needs son Peter, He Made Us Better: A Story of Faith, Family, Friends (and Football) is the story of Alex Falder. Early in the book I tell how as a little kid, Alex reminded me of the Tasmanian devil in the Bugs Bunny cartoons—a whirlwind of energy, who continuously went spinning from one misadventure to another. Alex became an elementary school classmate and friend of Peter’s, where…..
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…..
In the preface of my new book about our special-needs son Peter Boone, He Made Us Better: A Story of Faith, Family, Friends (and Football), I said that there was no way I could begin to tell all of the stories I’d like to tell. What follows here isn’t so much of a story as a plea—to be sensitive to those around us with physical disabilities. In this world, few things make me angrier than the widespread, shameless misuse,…..
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…..
When I wrote my new book He Made Us Better: A Story of Faith, Family, Friends (and Football) about the 39-year journey with our special-needs son Peter, my primary purpose was to inspire and encourage people. And I really wanted it to get to those who especially needed some encouragement. Recently I’ve encountered some pretty convincing evidence that that’s already happening. My day job is being a freelance agribusiness writer. About three weeks ago, I was scheduled to attend…..
Since the release of my new book He Made Us Better: A Story of Faith, Family, Friends (and Football), the story of our 39-year adventure with our special-needs son Peter, who passed away in 2014, I’ve received a lot of feedback. I’ve been blessed by the very positive and encouraging comments I’ve received from readers, and have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to engage with them about the book. Of all the comments I’ve received, by far the most common has…..
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…..