Marie's Voice... On Surviving Life and Having Joy

Saturday morning in Atlanta. Looking out my window, I see budding trees and falling snow. And now the sun has broken through. To the south, there have been tornados. To the north and west, more snow. When will it end for the people who have survived the long winter storms? As I sit here in the quiet, I struggle to know why I am feeling so blue. I am blessed, yet feeling lonely for a hug from family. Thumbing through my note cards from my past Friends for Life vignettes for one of our religious... Sign in to see full entry.

On February 29 I shared information about a nationwide NIPP IT Campaign to get kids immunized against polio to coincide with National Immunization Week. I've got exciting news to share. I hope you will use the ideas to take action in your community. First, believe with me that one voice does count!! I sent the information and letter template to our Georgia Governor and to our Sandy Springs Mayor and City Council members. Then I sent it to a friend whom I have gotten to know through community... Sign in to see full entry.

Cheers for the Community Voice!! If you are around me for even a short time, you will soon hear me say that community is so important. You and I as single individuals are a part of what makes up community. Without each of us the world would be a different place… and not as complete! Last night at the Sandy Springs City Council meeting I used my voice. And so did three other women. In a city of over eighty two thousand in Metropolitan Atlanta, less than seventy five (guesstimating!) citizens... Sign in to see full entry.

I did it! I admitted that I had taken on too much! I am laughing at myself for demonstrating so clearly what I described to you in an earlier entry about polio survivors being driven people. Just call me the poster child. I have been a part of the Blogit community for twelve whole days and am having to change my ways!! I registered to do three blogs. The funny part is that I really thought I was going to do all of them in a thoughtful way. Ooops! The second category has two entries and the third... Sign in to see full entry.

Picking up the story from my February 28 entry… My journey home to Arkansas to bury my father was difficult. But it was only a precursor for the shock to follow. By 6:00 o’clock that evening of May 7, 1999, my husband’s death had me reeling. The unexpected fast moving events kept me from being able to even pause while grieving for these two men in my life. When crisis strikes, I go into survival mode. I felt like a huge truck had run over me. And it just kept running and running. Having sat for... Sign in to see full entry.

Marie’s article was in Atlanta Journal Constitution editorial page, October 14 2007. I am sharing this as a backdrop for my previous blog advocating a letter promoting the April 2008 vaccination campaign. Just think of the differnce potential if just one or five or 150 people got vaccinated for each of us who speaks out. I'd love to hear about it if you share the advocacy letter. I really am an incurable advocate for people who can't speak for themselves. And the unprotected babies can't! Be... Sign in to see full entry.

Here I am wearing my advocate’s hat.. I’ve been talking about my polio experiences and the impact of post polio syndrome on my life. Today in America a surprising number of children are not vaccinated against this disease which can be just as deadly today as it was in the 1940’s. Below is an email I received from Dr. Richard Bruno. He is the expert most of us polio survivors look to for information and resources. He has written a letter to get backing from states for a nationwide campaign in... Sign in to see full entry.

Arriving at 1999. We've covered a fifty year time span. This was the year that I didn’t see spring. In 1999 I was fifty seven years old. Having been in my wheelchair now for six years, I had adapted to life in a different modality. My husband had begun to help me with the marketing of my consulting business and in servicing my clients. This allowed me to use my time actually doing the consulting. There is a big initial eye opener for those of us who step out into the unknown and start a small... Sign in to see full entry.

Take another leap with me, this time from 1979 to 1993. I was still busy being SuperWoman. Anyone recognize her?? She has many faces, doesn't she? Having had challenges and successes as a special education teacher and Executive Director of a center for severely disabled infants and children, I was restless to be in business for myself. Is that the driven person seeping through? On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was signed into law by the first President Bush. It... Sign in to see full entry.

Leap with me through time from 1949 to 1979. I started to move on to a totally different topic yesterday. Why? I had started second guessing myself and wondering if my survival stories would get too heavy. But then I went back to what I had written in “About Me”. Those words told me that I had made a commitment. (This is part of what I said in “About Me”.). I am sixty six years old, grew up in a wonderful blue collar neighborhood, had a wonderful strong family, was first chair drummer in my high... Sign in to see full entry.