"The Journey with Grace" featured mother-daughter "awetistics" Gayle Lee and Lyrica Marquez in June, 2011 when their beautiful coffee table book premiered in Nashville. I noshed on its' meaty contents all summer. And now so can you via the availability of its' new e-book format, in addition to the hard cover. For more information on the hard copy and e-version of AWEtizm: A Hidden Key to Our Spiritual Significance, go here. (Is this picture of Gayle and Lyrica, above, breathtaking or what?! Gorgeous!)
In a slightly more traditional spiritual vein:
Her name is Margie and she inspires me. Her entire family does. I first met her husband, a lawyer, when he began bringing their neurotypical daughter to Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Speech and Hearing Center years ago to serve as a volunteer peer model. Grace was the lucky recipient peer. This special family boldly holds dear their spiritual beliefs. And, I find refreshing the way that they live their faith so purely and true to the intent of their spiritual leader–Jesus–and how nonjudgmental and open they are to dialogue. I've watched as their family moved from Episcopalian to Anglican to now Orthodox Christianity. And the latter is the source of these views as expressed via an orthodox Christian blog and book. Thanks for sharing, Margie. And to you, readers, I'm passing this perspective along. It's definitely something I can embrace. I am grateful to read this expression of appreciation, honor and acknowledgement of the "paradox of disAbility:"
http://armsopenwide.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/part-1-the-paradox-of-disability/
http://armsopenwide.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/part-2-the-paradox-of-disability/
What do you think?
Wow Leisa! I am beyond humbled. I am so happy that these postings were encouraging to you and pray that they are encouraging to others as well. I also know I had nothing to do with this other than pass it on. I also had very little to do with our daughter being a peer model, as the child is what she is; however, it was because of our experience with her epilepsy diagnosis, which she has since outgrown, that caused us to be looking at ways to encourage her to help others who also have non-traditional abilities or abilities outside the traditional timeline of development. I wanted to mention this because we had such a difficult time in England with our daughter’s diagnosis and people treating her like she was anything but neruotypical. You and Grace are the gift to our lives. God bless you!
Margie, anytime anyone, especially, a faith-based organization, looks upon disAbility as other than “broken,” they’ve encouraged me. Encouraged me in knowing that some people “get it” about our differently abled individuals in our culture.
I am so glad you did mention your daughter and I would have never “outed” that without your permission and I just didn’t even go there. Interesting how LIVING it does change one’s perspective, huh?
Thanks, as always for your support, encouragement and kind words, Margie.
I love visiting your blog. I don’t know why I don’t do it more often. Everything here is so inipsring! You’re canvases look gorgeous. I love your Fitness Fridays (I need to join up) and the new blog header (I think it’s new).I’m almost finished with the Couch to 5K program (just two more runs to go) and am considering the 10k running program just to keep going. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully I’ll be back in the OLW blog hop next month, but I’ll do my best to remember to visit you before then.Thanks for inipsring me
Yes if your unable to work. Could you sit a desk all day and file proerwpak? It has to be proven that you are unable to work and it will not be getting any better. Your doctor needs to do everything he can to help you first. Do wrist braces help? Then you need all your doctors to sign off and say you can no longer work. It takes a long time. But, if your truly diasabled or deserve it.