On occasion I forget that I have ALS. More accurately, I forget that I have significant ALS-related disabilities. A prime example occurs when I try to speak after I have been writing for a while. I open my mouth, fully expecting to speak with the same fluency I have...
This morning I made William laugh using eyegaze. This is very good news. My ability to be understood these days, even by those closest to me, is dicey at best. The weakened muscles of my face and mouth limit comprehensible articulation, and weakened breathing limits...
This article, written by Jim and Peggy Plews-Ogan, was published by the University of Notre Dame's Center for Social Concerns and their Virtues and Vocations publication. You can view the original article online. On December 2, 2021, our lives cracked open. Jim was...
"Contemplation is a long loving look at the real." --Fr. William McNamara Most mornings, weather permitting, I begin my day sitting here in our contemplation garden. I sit alone, or with Delta Mae, in contemplation, sipping coffee, hoping to center myself in silence,...
Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas, May 24th, 2022... When there are no more words to approximate the utter gut-wrenching anguish of a desperately grieving parent, whose child has been slaughtered, at school, during reading group, or a spelling test... When the...
Today, we mark two years since our beloved Jim passed away. Our Plews-Ogan family, including Rowan and baby Phoebe, Erin and Hal, and Will and Monika, are gathering for the weekend as we will every year. This year, we’re in Minneapolis. The time together has given us...