The Way Found Me

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A great story and one that's powerful

From: Steven Kaufman
Date: 15 Oct 2008
Time: 22:05:34 -0500
Remote Name: 64.12.117.139

Comments

Hi Pam and good evening to you, After I read your story, I wanted to let you know that you wrote was a story of courage, of heart, and most importantly, raw passion. The one quality that all the members who face their battles with stuttering on a daily basis is passion. It is that passion that unites us all and brings as together as people who stutter, and it shapes our drive to make a world brighter for those who feel there is no hope when their vocal chains are locked. In your story you spoke of finally accepting yourself as a person who stutters. That is the ultimate goal and when you do that, you are transformed into a whole new person-realizing you can be who you are, and who you want to be. It's a metamorphisis that is fun to watch, but more exciting to be part of. I couldn't think of a better example than a first-timer who attends the National Stuttering Association Conference and feeling so petrified, and after four days, they become the life of the party, so social and vibrant. At the conference in Atlanta, I remember vividly the keynote speaker of John Harrison, and talking about how one time there was a new member attending a meeting and she was a person who stuttered, and she was so startled at being fluent that she left the meeting and never came back, and John said that perhaps she was so scared of accepting the possibility that she could be fluent. It definitely is scary to feel that way, but what's scarier is not doing anything about it when you have all the power to change that. Last night, I was watching the movie "Hellboy" and there's one scene above all else that stands out, and a quote brings the movie to a close-but it's what said that can impact our lives. One of the main characters says "What makes a man a man? Is it his origins? Is it genetic? No, it's the choices he makes. Not the way he begins things, but how he ends them." If you think about it, the quote is not meant to be gender-specific, even though it is in the movie. It is about choices: It's about embracing ourselves as a person who stutters. It's about learning we are OK and so are other people. It's about letting yourself know you are worth it and stuttering doesn't have to make you into a freak and tear apart your life...and it almost me a near-fatal experience to realize that. It is about standing up and being counted, and saying with pride "I AM a person who stutters" and smiling when you do! This is a great paper, Pam. I am very proud not only to call you my friend, but my colleague on the other side of the Thruway. Respectfully, Steven Kaufman


Last changed: 10/15/08