“I know I look a little scary, but don’t be afraid. All I want is a friend.” This is from a page in my children’s book I’m Smiling on the Inside. As a grown woman, it’s sometimes ironic that I feel this way too about adults, particularly men. It’s like I’m some Halloween Woman that men run away from! There’s a lot to be said about how a man reacts to how a woman looks, and I know how this is to be true! LOL!

But in all seriousness, I wish men weren’t so frightened. Just l...

Because of being born without the ability to smile, I learned that I had to define what a smile is.  If I could physically smile, would that be the smile I actually want? Or is a smile more than facial expression?  Growing up I never really thought about it. I knew I looked different and there were times I would fantasize about having a beautiful face with a glowing smile. But most times I just didn't really think about it.

When I was in my early twenties, I saw a little girl on the news tha...

I've been thinking a lot about independence lately. What do I think and feel about myself is what makes me an individual. If I think I need to rely on others’ opinions, then I’m mostly part of a group. I’m not an individual as I care too much on what others think. This seems very basic and simple to do, but it is not. I still struggle with wanting confirmation on my ideas or my future plans. This is dangerous in a way because I may miss a direction that can open up a whole new world for...

I’m sorry I haven’t written anything for a while. The winter months always seem dark for me.  Both of my parents got very sick and died during this of year. So you can see it has its haunting reminders.  The last few months of 2013 have been more of traumatic than in recent years. My next door neighbors, whom I have known since I came to live here fifteen years ago, decided to move. They were getting older and wanted to be closer to their family. I understood and supported their decision,...

I'm so overcome by the word overcome. The word is overused and very misleading. When I hear the word overcome, I think of someone who recovered from a sickness or an accident. They do not have to deal with whatever what made them temporary confined. It is not a condition that will stay with them for life and they will go on like nothing ever happened.

             I’m sorry to have to say this, but I haven’t overcome my disability.  I was born with it, and it will be with me for life.  I...

“It’s okay to have a disability, but please act normal”. Sometimes I get this feeling from people. It is not that they are being mean. I think mostly it’s because they are having issues accepting oneself and that seeing another disabled person who acts “not normal” only confronts them about their own differences.

Personally, I felt I’ve been ignored or shun by other disabled people. Whenever I reach out, I get a recoil look. I have also known disabled people that are pleasant...

One word that I can describe about the book, Far from the Tree, is challenge: the challenge for people with differences to love themselves, the challenge for families to accept their loved ones as they are, and the challenge for society to embrace people of unique personalities and physical differences.

As a person with many differences, I can relate to the many people featured in the book and understand what is like to live in a society that is very challenging and confusing.

I apprecia...

I wanted Normal but Normal didn’t want me. I didn’t understand this. It really unsettled me. One day I talked to Normal: “Why didn’t you want me?” I asked. Normal replied: “Because normal is not normal anymore.” Perplexed, I asked what that meant. She said: “Normal was normal a long time ago. When people were first created, they were normal. Their life was centered on caring and loving one another.  However, when they got to be rich and interested in achievement and in ma...