Rhiannon’s Waivers

Here is the text of an email my wife sent out to her family and friends this morning, celebrating the good news that our daughter, Rhiannon, has just received funding from the state of Georgia that will enable her to participate in a day-support program starting in July. Not only will this enable Fran and me to keep working, but it also saves Rhiannon from the fate that would befall her if she had to stay at home (either with one of us or with an in-home caregiver), where her lack of skills would pretty much condemn her to a life of watching TV or playing elementary-school-level computer games. The funding was never a slam dunk: about three times the number of Georgia citizens need this kind of support than there is available funds. What’s particularly miraculous is that the word on the street is that funding generally goes to those who are most aggressive in advocating for it. Aside from just a couple of phone calls and emails and attending one rally in February (where the above photo was taken), our primary form of advocacy has been prayer. Clearly, that kind of advocacy works wonders of its own.

Here’s Fran’s message:

Flannery O’Connor and Betty Hester

Here’s a little teaser article about the recently-released O’Connor-Hester letters.