A Quiet Wisdom

In this heartwarming memoir, follow the inspiring journey of a mother and her developmentally-disabled daughter as they find each other. Told from the mother's perspective as she learns to cope with her daughter's diagnosis, it explores how she calls on Japanese art forms to describe her child's perfect imperfections and the unexpected gifts her daughter brings to the world.

In this heartwarming memoir, follow the inspiring journey of a mother and her developmentally-disabled daughter as they find each other. Told from the mother's perspective as she learns to cope with her daughter's diagnosis, it explores how she calls on Japanese art forms to describe her child's perfect imperfections and the unexpected gifts her daughter brings to the world. Readers will delight to see how how this special child marked her place in the world as a wise and present teacher—not only to her mother, but to all those willing to truly see her.

Peggy Connolly is the mother of an intellectually and developmentally-disabled daughter. She writes from her own experiences of anger, denial, fear, acceptance and love that were all part of her search to know and love her adult daughter with all of her perfect imperfection. After spending a lifetime learning to love herself, acceptance of life as it is led her to finally find her voice. As she began advocating for her daughter's right to have choice in where she would work and live, she began to see her daughter's innate wisdom appearing before her. As is common with those who take the time to look beneath the surface, the child became the teacher.