Month: July 2025

Perhaps you’ve had a teacher take class time to vent or air grievances or, sometimes, to mourn. One of my required classes at the University of Texas took place in a large lecture hall. The history of drama was the topic, but the professor sometimes talked about his twin daughters, who were five years old at the time. Long awaited, the girls had a severe learning disorder which grieved their parents. I remember so clearly the professor showing us the ASL for “church” which the girls liked to sign holding their little black patent shoes. It was all the more poignant through his tears.

Last Friday, I volunteered at the National Down Syndrome Congress annual convention held at the Anatole. My task was to serve at the registration desk on the next to last day, so only a few people were expected. We trained on the tablets, packaged lanyards for next year’s convention in Orlando, directed five therapy dogs and owners to their spot, and sent parents down the row to staff members for new color-coded dots. Over 500 volunteers were needed. One group of 120 church youth took all the slots for one event. The rest came through work programs or JustServe.org, a  volunteer matching service.

What did I learn?

• In 1950, the life expectancy for someone with DS was 22. Now, it’s 60. Yes, advocacy has worked to improve acceptance and medical innovations.
• Multiple organizations exist to support families and their children. The exhibit hall was filled with tables hosting not only services but also what was called self-advocates. These young entrepreneurs included Hannah Koeper of Down Right Perfect Gifts; motivational speaker Matthew Schwab; Fluid Pours by Alexis; and Austin’s Underdawgs, gourmet hot dog catering company that has made $1,000,000 for its owner.
• As you probably know, having a Down syndrome baby is often a choice because of prenatal testing. Some Scandinavian countries have almost none born.
• For those of us who were outsiders, I can say that it was once again clear that there is no such thing as service to others.
• Beauty is beauty. At the end of the day, one of the staff members was holding a toddler. Someone asked whose she was. “My daughter, Summer.” We were all transfixed. At two, this child had all the delicate beauty possible in such a tiny being. And joy.
• If there was a single takeaway that day, it was the joy of life, which is not easy for anyone I’ve noticed lately. Without examples, I can say that most people are struggling or even suffering with challenges we can’t see. With Down syndrome people, it may be easier to see their condition, to know the issues, and to understand the reasons for continued advocacy. And to be the people we ought to be.

“…she is fierce” goes a popular line from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Famous, but you may want to see the mud fight scene from the 1999 all-star version for context.) It’s not her stature that’s of interest though; Linda Stern is fierce—as a competitor in table tennis (preferred among the players over ping pong, originally Ping-Pong, the Parker Brothers brand of equipment based on the sound of the paddle and ball.)

Linda played the game for fun in the past, she said, “Just hitting the ball.” When she retired, she decided to be more serious about her skills, started going to table tennis clubs, and sought out coaching. She now plays tournaments at state, national, and even international levels—and has the medals to prove it. Sometimes, she does lose, of course, but she is competitive.

One of her goals is to promote the sport among the senior population, especially women. She knows the science. Here is a scholarly paper. This brief explanation highlights the three main reasons to play: brain function, agility, and heart rate. Linda scored 92 out of 100 in reaction time testing. The nurse said, “You don’t happen to be a table tennis player, do you?” Apparently, it’s something many players share.

An entirely different side of Linda’s story surprised me.  Linda was curious why I said she was fierce. In the 16th century, “fierce” meant “brave.”  Who’d think table tennis would require bravery? Imagine this: You walk into a crowded club of mostly younger people, all of whom are men. You want to play the game. You’re good and want to get better. First, you have to be accepted. The ways to avoid you are subtle—a place in line is lost because the table holder goes off on a break, or you’re suddenly invisible when you want to challenge a table.

Linda prevailed. She proved herself. She is now accepted and respected in many clubs, and yes, she beats the men.

She shared a sweet story about a competitor from China. (It’s not a myth that the Chinese dominate the sport—perhaps you’ve seen Olympic matches. Here are the Paris 2024 women’s singles final highlights.) Linda first met this player when she spoke no English. Scores are announced, so Linda suggested hand signals. As they have met at tournaments through the years, the woman’s English improved. Recently, she said to Linda, “You…me…beautiful…we play until 100 years old!” And I think Linda is up to it. She wants the rest of us to be, too. Let’s all be a little bit fierce.

 

 

Once, I was challenged to write a single-topic, 500-word post. I wrote it with some difficulty. Last week, I received another challenge: Shorten a set of 500-word emails. As luck would have it, most are 100 words—an ideal length because no one wants to read 500 anything.

It was surprising. Some colleagues and I had worked diligently, polishing and honing, inserting links, checking tone and content. The purpose was not to overwhelm readers, though, so the deep cull. When I look at a book of short stories, I begin with the shortest and work up. Ron Chernow’s Washington is a whopping 928 pages. I will finish it—some of the best writing ever—but not this week or next. Side note, it was free at a local thrift store. All their books are. But since nobody reads…

Today, I’ll share something really short (65 words)—a poem “Bless the Space Between Us.”   The inspiration is the title of a book by John O’Donohue, an Irish poet, philosopher, and speaker who died in his sleep in 2008. To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings doesn’t have a blessing or a poem with that title. So, I wrote one:

Bless the Space Between Us

Bless the space between us

That there may be hope within us.

Bless the space between us—

Fill our hearts with peace.

 

Bless the space between us

That there may be love within us.

Bless the space between us—

Fill our hearts with peace.

 

Bless the space between us

That it shall disappear.

Let us seek now and always

The path to peace, to peace.

Mary Ann Taylor

©2024

 

But even better, composer Mary Alice Rich set it to music, which you can hear here, beautifully performed by a choir prepared by Julie Nance. As John O’Donohue said, “Music is what language would love to be if it could.” Thanks for reading and listening!

It’s not that I haven’t written about it before. Nullius in verba is technically the opposite of Truth Default Theory, described here and in a scholarly paper delivered but not published. A copy available on request (if I can find it). The phrase means “on the word of no one” or, more directly, “take no one’s word for it.” It is the motto of the Royal Society, originally called the College for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematical, Experimental Learning. Twelve scientists formed it in 1660 after hearing a lecture from the famous architect, Christopher Wren. Their website has a nice time-line introduction with short blurbs. The principle of being able to replicate is foundational to the scientific method. It would seem to have little to do with the ribs demonstration at Costco, but the motto clearly does.

Last week, I was in Costco for a return and something else when one of the demos offered samples of pre-seasoned, cooked ribs. They were tasty. But the hook was the price: $8.49 with $4.00 off a pound. That sounded great. But…the sign over the product just said “$4.00 off taken at the register.” That means per package. A number of us were standing there when I asked the provider which was correct. “They mean the same thing,” she responded. Some of the onlookers agreed. One wife tried to explain to her husband that they didn’t. Expecting the package option, I asked at checkout and was correct. Presumably, someone changed the sign on the samples cart. They weren’t that delicious, so I passed.

More seriously, I was in a car accident last week. The insurance company emailed me this morning, and texted a link, with the message that I was not at fault per their determination. Earlier, they let me know the car was totaled. Sadly, it was all inaccurate information and a brief journey, settled to unsettled. Two adjustors remain puzzled how such mistakes could be made (note passive voice).

Just irritating. Three other examples were more troubling.

The first came from someone who opposes illegal immigration. No need for more about this person, but the list was incredibly inflammatory. The first charge was that “43% of all food stamps go to illegal aliens.” Untrue on its face, but a quick Google search reveals that this meme is 14 years old and has been debunked countless times. For one thing, only citizens can receive most federal benefits like SNAP. You can read all of the claims here if you choose. My concern was for my friend. Where did the list come from? Had she shared it with anyone else? Was she open to learning the facts? Of course not, because the facts didn’t matter. It was the sentiment.

Second, in case you think the other political side is immune, the recent budget bill has caused others to blossom apocalyptically. It begins with “If this bill passes, we won’t have another election.” Wow. No, I haven’t read the bill, but neither had my source. It’s a thousand pages. Again, the charges are so specific that they can be easily vetted. Check here for the meme and its fact checks. Maybe some of the data weren’t accurate, but that doesn’t mean anything. “We’re doomed,” said someone, probably.

Third, an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News recently decried a veto by Gov. Abbott which would mean there would be no summer food program for Texas children. It began, “How did we reach a point where feeding hungry Texas children became something that could be vetoed?” The writer is John McCaa, a beloved WFAA commentator in the past. It’s a moving, emotional, condemnatory column.

It’s also not accurate. He says that children will go hungry without the money from the federal government. In fact, there is a program already in place that offers meals to children beginning June 2. No qualifying, nothing to do other than show up for students under 18 and older if disabled. Lots of partnerships, lots of sites. Within my 5 miles radius they are 16 of them. TEA works with the Texas Department of Agriculture and has for years. Here is their site. But the comments: Everyone is generally appalled at the horror. Outrage prevailed. Only a few seem to have done any fact checking at all. The veto was not for the food program that exists but for an extension of the EBT to allow an additional $120 per child in benefits. For the summer. That’s not much money. But that wasn’t what McCaa argued. He said there would be no food for school children during the summer. Demonstrably false. EBT in Texas has rules and guidelines. A family of four can have an income of $4125 a month and still participate in the program. More details here. The process recognizes the immediacy of need.

Will this change how I or anyone else reacts to data? Probably not. But let’s do our best not just to repeat what someone said. Instead, let’s see if we can replicate the results.