I Just Wanted a Chair
It seemed like it was going to be such a simple thing to do. Over the summer, I did several things to brighten my home environment a bit. I got a new entertainment center, new area rugs for the living room, and some updated outdoor furniture. The process of...
Marching On!
This is my latest submission to Chicken Soup for the Soul. The theme for the book is Think Positive. Happy Disability Pride Month, everyone! I sat in stunned silence as I hung on to the phone, not sure how to process what I had just heard. I was talking to the...
Leah Will Always Find Me
Any joyful spirit I would usually have on Christmas Eve morning was lost on me that year as I waited for news I knew I probably didn’t want to hear. Tightness squeezed a shallow breath out of my chest as I heard the raspiness in Dr. Tom’s voice through the phone. The...
He Got Back Up
I have been a fan of America's Got Talent for many years. There is something about people sharing their passions with the world that just lights me up. So, even though I am more a fan of talents like singing and dancing, I was excited when I heard there was a new...
Not Alone
At the suggestion of some friends, I started a TikTok account a few months ago. These friends know how passionate I am about helping others learn about empowering those of us with disabilities. They suggested TikTok might be a platform to get my message out to masses...
It Means Everything…
The event made me sad in a whole lot of ways, but that wasn't going to stop me from going. Bill, the beloved senior pastor of the church that I have attended for the last 26 years was retiring, and at the beginning of last November, there was a celebration to send him...
A Priceless Gift!
When I was a little kid, I was excited whenever somebody asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I always had a solid list for Santa because, from my perspective at least, I was always a good girl. That made the question easy to answer back then. People have been asking...
The Right Thing to Do
"Lorraine, are you okay?" The sound of my name and the concern in his voice pulled me back into consciousness. High fever and a severe kidney infection had made me sick for days, and when Matt came into my room that evening, I had been asleep for a long time. As a...
More than Gold
On August 8th, 1992, The United States Olympic Basketball Team won the gold medal, when they beat the Croatian team in Barcelona. According to Wikipedia, they were described by journalists from around the world as the Dream Team, the greatest sports team ever...
A Seat at the Table
I saw the coolest picture online last week. It was of a picnic table at a park. As is typical, it had benches all the way around it, but what grabbed my attention is that one of the benches was cut out leaving room for a wheelchair user to sit next to others who were...