Our Big Personal News of 2026

If you’re only here for the ocean part, scroll down to WE’RE MOVING TO MAINE. I won’t be offended. The rest is here for those who know us and welcome detail.

First, a Health Update

If you know me, then you know my health took a marked turn toward Big Struggle on September 7, 2022. That was the day, at lunchtime, whilst facing a plate of delicious air-fried chicken wings that my body decided to do gastroparesis. And I then very rapidly and involuntarily lost 30% of my body weight, among other things.

Then in December 2024, I got my first COVID infection after some plumbers “wore masks” working in our house. And since early 2025, I’ve been dealing with autonomic dysfunction severe enough that I realistically did not think I would survive to see 2026. I had made plans accordingly.

But here I still am.

I’m still substantially disabled. There’s the migraines, gastroparesis, dysautonomia, knees and ankles that aren’t often on my team, peripheral neuropathy, a need for nearly continuous wearing of heated socks 24/7/365, and what my rheumatologist calls visceral neuropathy. (Insert shoulder shrug to the lot of it. There’s more, but I think that’s a good gist.)

The good news is that I’ve made some marked improvements.

I’ve got excellent AFOs that improve my mobility. I’ve found the perfect heated socks for me. And I’ve been receiving monthly IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) infusions because of my delightful, 10-syllable diagnosis of hypogammaglobulinemia.

The IVIG has led to notable improvements in my peripheral pain and my gastroparesis. The WHY about how it improves these things is elusive, but I’ve got a lot of gratitude.

 

So I’m apparently not dying this year, at least not from natural causes. Cool!

And you know what? I love Rachael the Beloved, a.k.a. the Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe as much as life itself. Thinking that we might have some more years together is priceless and has led to us making some big changes as a family.

I’m Closing Some Chapters

Some of you know that I’ve been on leave from active ministry since 2019, while working toward my PhD. During that time, I’ve genuinely enjoyed being a population health researcher. I’ve presented aspects of my main findings at the Population Association of America four times, presented another study at the Gerontological Society of America once, and I’ve learned an incredible amount along the way.

Unfortunately, one health thing hasn’t improved enough: I still mostly cannot type. (boo!)

Believe me when I say I’ve tried e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Voice-to-text isn’t the issue. The problem is that doing research means constantly reviewing my data and analyses, reading literature, making notes, and moving my hands around the mouse and keyboard. I simply can’t sustain that for very long.

The frustrating part is that I ran about 25 miles of this marathon, figuring out how to navigate the obstacles of bottom-up thinking as an autistic scholar with the support of a kind committee.

 

I passed my oral and written preliminary exams in January 2022 (if interested, see Why World Leaders Should Prioritize the Well-Being of their People).

I defended my prospectus in May 2024, and expected to complete my dissertation by the end of calendar year 2024, since the dissertation prospectus was the last big hurdle for my autistic brain.

 

Then COVID kicked my behind as previously noted. And while I’ve been able to regain some functioning, and accommodate all possibilities, I still cannot use my hands for long enough to type and land this plane.

Alas in January 2026, it was with some mourning that I began a two-year leave of absence from the PhD program. If the IVIG continues to help and I can eventually regain enough function to type again, I’ll go back and finish it.

I’ve also had to retire from teaching after 22 years in the Psychology Department at UMass Lowell, every single semester since Fall 2004 (with nary a sabbatical to be had). That decision came down to migraines which, after more than 30 years aren’t going to suddenly become not as disabling as they are. During my last two semesters of teaching, I couldn’t even get my asynchronous course prepared on time for day one, and I missed office hours often because of migraines.

It became clear this spring that I couldn’t do right by my students anymore.

So now I’m retired from everything except the occasional consulting work. Ba dum bum.

Rachael the Beloved is Closing Some Chapters

We moved to Minnesota for Rachael’s work, for her to be the pastor of Living Table UCC in Minneapolis. I will always remember the search process back in 2014, and thinking how perfect this setting and my beloved were as a fit for each other.

That’s mostly Rachael’s story to tell, but suffice it to say she has done so much over these past 11 years. I’m proud, and very glad she was called to be here.

Rachael will grow her organizational consulting work, as well as her spiritual direction practice. Check out Spill The Tea Spiritual Direction, if interested.

We Are Moving to Maine!

Finally, the Atlantic Ocean part of this update!

Yeah we’re moving to midcoast Maine.

This will be my 30th move (which is honestly ridiculous), and hopefully my last.

We will be living about a mile and a half from the Atlantic Ocean, where there’s a gorgeous footbridge that crosses the harbor.

Incredible. Who would have thought…

Both Rachael the Beloved and I find the beach deeply life-giving. Salt water is restorative in a way I can’t really explain.

Seagulls in our yard, salt in the air, harbor views at sunset on a Thursday for no reason… heaven, really.

And moving back to New England feels like going home.

I do not know how I got to be so fortunate, but I am profoundly grateful.

 

The Big Cross-Country Move Itself

We’ll probably be making the move sometime around November 2026, driving around 1,600 miles from the Twin Cities to Midcoast Maine in our Jeep Renegade.

 

Here’s where we need The Village.

Are you somewhere along our route? If you are, would you consider letting us park overnight in your driveway?

Very serious request. We won’t need anything other than the safe place to park and sleep overnight We’ll literally arrive in the evening, visit with you a bit, and rest before driving off in the morning.

We’ll be car camping in the Jeep, nothing fancy. Please don’t assume I know where you live, because I have absolutely no sense of direction. If you are generally along our route, please text me or send me a message through the contact form. We’d be grateful to have several possible stopping places. THANK YOU in advance!

Downsizing Is…a Process

Our new house is only about 800 square feet, so we’ve been downsizing in earnest.

I’ve started selling things on Facebook Marketplace, and my autistic nature is decidedly not built for sales. This part is remarkably stressful.

We’re also giving away quite a bit. Living on a busy street has its advantages. If we leave something at the end of our driveway, it’s often gone within a day. If not, a post to the local Buy Nothing group takes care of it.

Some things, though, really do need to be sold. Moving is expensive and selling things produces funds, of course.

One complication is that LiFePO4 batteries can’t go in a moving truck. I’ve got two batteries to sell, probably four solar panels, and several battery-powered tools.

Apparently our cross-country drive is going to consist of our Jeep Renegade containing mostly our bodies, our medications, a few changes of clothes, and lots of batteries (only funny because true).

If you’re local to the Twin Cities, you might enjoy following my facebook Marketplace profile. And if you let me know you’re connected to Autistic PhD, I can give discounts.

Learning to Trust the Village

You know what?

I struggle quite a bit with changes in routine. Between disability, doctors, getting this house ready to sell, downsizing decades of stuff, and figuring out how to drive across the country now that I can’t drive…it’s a lot.

But I’m trusting the village, coupled with our own labors.

Friends in Maine

If we’ll soon be neighbors in the Boothbay Harbor Region, please do connect by text or email me via the contact form here. I’d love to know some friendly and safe folks are nearby.

Friends in the Twin Cities

We’ve lived here for over a decade.

Of my 30 moves, this is the longest time I’ve ever lived in one home, having lived in West Saint Paul for eight years now.

I’ve made treasured friendships here, and leaving won’t be easy. I hope our friendships endure even though I won’t be local. Speaking of that, one more thing:

While our next house may only be 800 square feet, and for health reasons we really can’t host people inside, we are building a guest room out of a shipping container. (Yeah. It’s a thing. Google it.)

It should actually be delivered to our weird plot of land next week. So please come visit! You can stay in the guest room, or stay at a local hotel then come hang out. Walk to the harbor with us. Go to the beach. Watch the sunset with the boats and the waves. Eat all the lobster if you do that sort of thing.

We’re not leaving you. We’re just going home, and we love you.