Thom

I have always been ready to write, but I just didn’t have the discipline. That I have now. I have always told my stories without hesitation to anyone, but once told they evaporated. Linnea taught me to write them down. I know my personal story is unique, but so is yours. People need to read your story. It is powerful, and they will learn from it. It teaches. It informs. It sensitizes us and humanizes us. You should share it. It is also possible that it would be good for you to tell your narrative and own it rather than suppressing it.

I had a long meeting with Linnea today as we reviewed the transcript of my interview. As it happened, there was an opportune moment to mention that we had traded a few emails regarding disability. I wish you could have seen her face light up. She was thrilled. I shared no details with her, and she did not ask. I told her, however, that there wasn’t much I could say since you wanted to keep private even that we were doing so. She was respectful of that. I wish you would reconsider what you are willing to tell her. The memories of your childhood are so important, so powerful – especially as they relate to how and why someone comes to see themselves as disabled or different.

I have attached #8. Very brief, but it arose as I was beginning to think about what has happened on the journey that is my life. It preceded my coining the Scar Trek label. Scars, once embraced, can be beautiful – evidence of our success in dealing with the challenges thrown at us. Once I again I can’t reconstruct the full context of this for you, but that is a bit of it.