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The Catholic Church is both conservative and liberal, both ordered and open, both a builder of walls and a builder of bridges. To seize upon one side at the expense of the other is necessarily to misunderstand her.
Emily always answers questions so thoughtfully—apologies for putting a delicious photo of food in your timeline on Ash Wednesday!
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Noah Millman is correct, I think.
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Btw, Christianity is true.
Hey Friends, I’m here of Substack, and here is why I decided to leave MSNBC and go 100% independent with all my content.
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Spoiler alert: I wasn’t nice to him.
I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out with kindness and encouragement, both personally and in these social media streets. So very proud of The Reidout @joy.msnbc.com team, who are truly family, and all of our supporters & friends. See you tomorrow night at 7 ET, one more time ‼️
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It’s why I’m here. Thank you all for joining me.
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If you're a lover of literature but have always felt intimidated by the idea of reading a screenplay and deciphering its odd format, check out my latest article.
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I’ve forgotten what this one is
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just getting started on substack, excited to be here and looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. more soon.
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🚨FAFO ALERT
He is always screaming.
But sometimes he’s quiet.
I can’t find a way to soothe him.
He squirms when I hold him.
He cries all the time.
He’s not talking.
He has no words.
He won’t look at me.
I don’t know what he wants.
The doctor said it’s autism.
He has autism.
My son has autism.
This is Jack. He has autism.
He said Mama! He said it just the other day. He knows me. He knows who I am.
He’s probably going to outgrow this, don’t you think?
Maybe it was all a phase.
Something is wrong. He is chanting about painting babies blue. He keeps asking what time it is. He’s afraid of the wind chill factor.
He is here but not here.
What does comorbidity even mean?
I never knew anxiety goes along with autism.
Why didn’t anyone ever tell me?
Medication. It was our only choice.
I don’t think essential oils are the answer here.
Gluten doesn’t seem to bother him.
I’m sorry he touched your hair.
I’m sorry he said your house was messy.
I’m sorry he asked if you’re pregnant.
We’re working on it.
If he smears soap on the walls one more time, I’m going to light my eyelashes on fire.
Please don’t call him that.
Please don’t stare at him.
His name is Jack. He has autism.
Sometimes I get angry with people who have perfect lives but I don’t know how talk about it.
Sixth grade has been a mess.
Puberty is awful.
Why didn’t anyone ever tell me?
He bit the teacher.
He threw books.
He’s been suspended.
He can’t go back to school.
He’s talking about knives.
He’s talking about death.
We have to hide sharp objects.
I am lost.
We are lost.
I don’t know how to help him.
Why didn’t anyone ever tell me?
We had to change his medication. It seems to be working.
He’s doing well in his new school, thank you for asking! Seventh grade is off to a good start.
He called the teacher a leprechaun.
If he doesn’t stop swearing I’m going to light my eyelashes on fire.
He might actually graduate. He could get his diploma.
He wants to go to college.
We have to find something.
You don’t understand. There are so few programs for people with autism. There are so few spots.
Where will he go?
He’s never going to outgrow this.
Autism is forever.
I can’t do this forever.
I will do this forever.
He got in!
He got in.
How can we let him go?
What if someone hurts him?
Who will refill his prescriptions?
We have to let him go. He deserves the chance.
We did the work.
Autism is not who he is, it’s what he has.
Why didn’t anyone tell me?
Related notes
It wasn’t a special day and yet it was.
I got the call yesterday. (3/4/25)
My grandmother has entered hospice.
She’s barely awake now, her body and soul deciding how and when to let go. And yet, all I can think about is one day.
The last time I visited, the dementia was already there—most days, it stole her recognition, blurred the lines between past and present. But that day?
That day, she knew me.
Poor baby. I'm glad she was taken care of. 🙏
Do you ever deeply regret taking a photo immediately after you raise your phone to capture a moment?
I just got home from work and had the house to myself for a few minutes, so I opened the doors and windows because it is above 50 degrees for the first time since November and it feels like Spring may actually come, which is a miracle. I…
