The past week I have been spending time working on the cover for the upcoming anthology based on living life with a disability in Upstate NY.  I have designed the layout of the book, which is very exciting.  For now I am going to keep the details of it under waps until everything has been finalized.

Many wonderful stories have come in so far.  Some are humurous, others will simply touch your heart.  Parents, grandparents, and those working with special needs individuals have taken the time to write about their experiences.  This is an opportunity for many to connect with others who may be going through something similar.

There is still time for you or someone that you know to dust off your notebook and just sit and write how you feel.  Where you upset when you first learned that someone you loved would struggle in life?  Did you laugh when your autistic child did something completely off the wall crazy?  Is there someone in your life who is the most inspiring person you have met despite all that they are faced against?  These are the stories that we want to hear.

If you would like to submit a piece of writing and still remain anonymous, that is perfect acceptable.  It is also alright to say in your story that you are changing the names to keep a loved ones privacy.  Multiple submissions are also welcomed!

I have decided to allow just a little more time for story submissions due to the late announcement of the project by the press.  Anyone wishing to submit a story can do so by emailing them to me at [email protected].

The sun is shining and a hint of summer lingers in the air.  The calendar may refute that it's autumn, but the warmth of the suns rays offers us one last reminder of what we will be missing once the snow falls.  But like ant in Aesop's Fables, I spent the warm days preparing for the harsh winter that will be upon us soon.  As I worked,I longed to be like the grasshopper, playing in the sun and not worrying about what was around the corner.  But the wisdom from reading this book has taught me not to waste the opportunity to plan for the future.

One by one I packed up my patio chairs, stacking them neatly in their storage area.  The table and umbrella stands tall  next to them, ready to be emerged at the first sign of spring.  I am a little saddened at the sight of my bare porch as I lay in my hammock watching the blue sky form various shapes with the puffy clouds.  I tell myself that I will appreciate taking advantage of the good weather to take care of my belongings, as many of times I have found myself trying to do it as the snowflakes fall harshly onto my face and froze my fingers.

Now I have to be honest and admit that there are time when I do procrastinate, sometimes maybe even a little too much.  Then I find myself scrambling at the last minute and scolding myself for not being responsible.  This year I can relax because I worked hard like the ant.  How about you?  Have you made plans for the upcoming season, or will you wait until the last minute and then find yourself in a pinch because you weren't prepared? 

As if life wasn't complicated enough by having my husband spend five days in the ICU after having complications from his emergency surgery, my daughter was scheduled to have surgery herself this morning. 

While sitting in the waiting room, awaiting news that the surgery went well, my mind couldn't help but to recount how many times I have been in this position.  Eleven.

Eleven surgeries in the past fifteen years.  No wonder she seemed at such ease going in.  As you can see here she aquired a new stuffed animal, has her favorite movie playing up above her, and she was enjoying playing games on an IPad that they let her borrow.  She was having a great time waiting for the doctor to come and put her to sleep. To her this was nothing more than a typical part of life.  Doesn't everyone get poked and prodded on a regular basis?

While I have gotten used to playing nurse to her, having to be on double duty with my husband is something new.  Trying to take care of two patients at the same time will require some strategic planning on my part.  Will I be up to the challenge?  Stayed tuned to find out!

On Saturday September 25, 2011 the Oswego Literacy Coaliation is launching a free event to the public.  One World, Many Stories will be held at the Oswego Armory from 11-4.  Included in the day's interary is a bounce house for the kids, balloon animals, face painting, food, crafts, book give aways, the paws for reading program, Oswego Book Mobile, and an author's corner where you can meet some of your favorite authors.  If you look close enough you will find me sitting among these talent writers.

I will be there sharing information on the From Caring To Sharing Project, which is a propsed anthology about living life with disabilities.  The community is invited to share their short stories and poems on how a disability has affected their lives.  Maybe there is a teacher who has a student that touched their heart.  Perhaps a grandmother has as funny anctedote about their grandchild who has autism.  Is there a parent out there that has a tear jerking story about their own child who has triumphed despite a disability?  Everyone is welcomed to submit a piece of work.  After all of the stories have been compiled together, I will be putting together a book proposal and sending it out to book publishers.

Young or young at heart, literacy is the foundation of our world. “The goal of The Literacy Coalition of Oswego County is to empower our community to build literacy in a collaborative, inclusive and comprehensive
manner,” said Philip R. Church, Oswego County Administrator and coalition chairperson. “The Coalition is dedicated to supporting and expanding literacy services so that people can work, the economy can grow, families can thrive, and our community can prosper.” says Joanne Ciezesk, chairperson from the Oswego Literacy Coalition.

For better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.  This is what I vowed to my husband on the day that we became man and wife. Those words were precious and I did not take them lightly.  So when he needed to go to the emergency room at two in the morning, I was right there by side.  I was going to be there for him in his time of need, just as he has done for me in the past.

 Nestled up close to his bed, I sat in a chair holding his hand and offered assurances that everything was going to be fine.  I would oversee his care and tend to his needs. He could always count on me. But shortly after the well meaning words left my mouth, his tiny hospital room  became a room for two.

Injuring myself while at the infirmary, a second bed was found and stratetic place alongside of my husband’s.  For the next seven hours we sat together, each caring for the other from behind our string of wires and IV’s. Both in pain, we could help but to laugh at the situation that we found ourselves in.  His and Hers hospital beds, taking turns getting x-rays and EKG’s…it was comical despite our growing concerns for one another.  It reminded me of that solemn commitment that we made to each other and I couldn’t think of a better example of how we had lived up to that promise.  Here we were, together in a bleak situation, yet grateful that we could look into the eyes of the one that we loved and feel comfort.  Life doesn’t get any better than that.

What kind of commitments have you made in your life that you want to live up to?  Perhaps you want to be kinder to others.  Maybe it is to spend more time with your kids.  For some that commitment that they made was to themselves.  Did you always mean to go back to school but never found the time?  Have you been
working up the courage to make a life altering decision such as leaving an abusive situation?  Whether your promise was to yourself or somebody else, take a moment and reflect upon what your goal was when you made the promise.  Is this something that you are willing to risk never achieving or will you take the first step today towards bringing your hopes to reality.  

I hope you choose the latter.

On a recent day trip to the beach I thought I would take my husband's antique convertible along for the ride.  Why not...the whole idea was to enjoy nature and the thought of the wind blowing in my hair while I drove to the
water  intrigued me.  Down went the top and off we went.  Our picnic in the front seat  and my daughter and her friend in the back.

It was a glorious day.  Gentle waves greeted us on the soft sandy beach, and the sun was perfectly portioned in the sky to offer just the right amount of  heat.  We swam, played, and relaxed for most of the afternoon.  But as good 
things always do, the time had come for it to end.  Home was our destination but  our hearts were still by the water.  Sadly we put the keys in the engine and  headed back.

It wasn't long before the car started spitting and sputtering on the hot asphalt.  Crossing my fingers that nothing was wrong I cautiously pulled over to  the side of the road.  As luck would have it, the car stopped completely. 
The  engine refused to restart and we were stuck with the top down in our bathing  suits.  Great...

I called my husband to come to our rescue and while we awaited his arrival we made the most out of the situation and played silly games until our hero arrived.  75 minutes later (because he had thought we had gone to a different 
 beach 40 miles in the opposite direction) he was by our side to escort us safely  back home.  As it turned out, the gas gauge was not working properly and as soon  as we refuled her with a drink we were up and going again.

The very next day I was mowing the lawn and dejavu....the mower ran out of gas!  Twice in two days I was out of steam and couldn't go any further as much as I had wanted to.  And so another lesson was learned.  As much as we would like to just go without stopping, we need to take a few moment and refresh ourselves.  Too often we run around ragged trying to be super mom and accomplish  more than we can handle.  Take a break, a sip of your favorite beverage, and  breathe deep.  Recharge your mind and your body will take you where it is you  need to go.  This is your vehicle..maintain it accordingly.

~Amy

The sun is shining brightly against the pale blue sky adding to the ambiance of a picture perfect summer day.  This is a day not to be wasted...the beach is calling!

But how would we manage to work around a broken foot?  I thought twice about our decision to go before telling myself that we cannot let a circumstance define our lives.  Broken foot or not, we were going.

It took a little extra planning, but the afternooon spent in front of hte glistening water was priceless.  We found a new sense of peace and relived our childhood as we built sand castles and watched our fotprints (well, three of them anyways) left our legacy by the sandy shores.

There was a lesson to be learned today and that was determination.  Too often we tend to take the easy route, citing a poor situation as an excuse to not try.  So I challenge you.  The next time you find yourself saying you can't do something, I want you to to stop for a moment and think "What do I need to do to make this work?" There is always a silver lining within each cloud, You just need to look deeper until you find the solution for life's problems.

With the temperatures reaching 100 degrees in the shade, the best thing you can do for your body is to take it easy.  Any strenuous activity could be bad for your health.  But today the heat was not the only reason that we were being cautious.  After our return visit to the orthopedic, we got the unsettling news that my daugther's foot is still broken.  Any hopes we had of salvaging our summer drifted out the window and into the haze outside.

The past five weeks I have watched my daughter hobble around in her cast, trying to make the most of a dismal situation.  With some strategic planning, we did most of our non physical summer fun the first few weeks she was in the cast and saved the exciting activities like the water parks for later on when she would be free to walk on her own two feet.  Now we may have to forgo these plans altogether as the amount of healing that takes place within the next month will predict whether or not surgery will be needed. 

Nevertheless, my daughter's personality shines just a brightly as the sun outside.  Instead of being sad that her vacation was in shambles, she put on a huge smile and attended her friend's birthday party without a care in the world. This is the kind of survivor attitude that I love about her.  Never letting anything get her down, she simply lets the warmth of her loving disposition take presidence.  It is always sunny in her world!

The past few days have been busy to say the least.  Between taking professional development classes and subbing for summer school, my writing (and housework) have taken a back seat.  As much as I wanted to sit down and focus on my book proposal I always manged to get side tracked.  It was getting me frustrated until I realized that I can't just hope that time will become availalble, I have to make time if it truly matters.  And so I did.

Now that the house is quiet and I can think without distractions, I have decided that today (well it's actually tomorrow by now) I will forgoe some sleep in order to catch up on the work that I had meant to do the past few days.  I actually like sitting up late at night, typing away frantically at the keyboard.  The only sound in the house is mine, and I can think with new clarity.  After catching my second wind I pulled out my proposal and studied exactly what it was that I have been putting off.  The chapter summaries...ugh!

This was the one part that has been giving me problems all along.  For some reason I couldn't figure out how to write it.  Should it be done in first person or third?  A formal summary of the chapter or written in dialogue?  I poured over reference books and internet sites hoping to find some examples that could help me.  And then, in the still of the night....it clicked.  Once I found my voice, the rhythm fell right into place and I was easily able to pull off something that I had struggled with for so long. 

So tonight (opps, sorry, this morning) I have learned a valuable  lesson.  Just like the Little Engine That Could, I did not give up.  I perservered until I was able to accomplish what I wanted.  And in the end, I was very proud that I didn't take the easy way out.  My proposal is now shaping up to be perfectly fine tuned, and a sense of self satifisfaction will remain with me forever.  I am thankful for these quiet nights when I moonlight as a writer.