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From: Russ Hicks
Date: 10/1/02
Time: 4:34:32 PM
Remote Name: 12.237.88.201
Adam,
I congratulate you for two very significant accomplishments. First developing your attitude of "getting on with your life." That is extraordinary, especially for one as young as you are. But you are EXACTLY correct! It took me till I was well into my 30's before I began to realize that. I can't tell you how many thoughts and dreams I had when I was growing up - all of them qualified with the sentence "... but FIRST I have to cure my stuttering." That one self-imposed limitation nearly destroyed me. But it looks like you have a good handle on that now, so your future is NOT limited by your stuttering! That's absolutely OUTSTANDING!
Second, if you really wrote that paper all by yourself, I am astonished at your writing skills! You are such a GOOD writer, young man! I am truly impressed! You express yourself far better than 95% of even the adults I have seen. I hope you realize what an outstanding writer you are. I hope you will continue to develop your writing skills.
I would wish you luck in your future, but you won't need any luck. You've already got the maturity under you that will enable you to live a full and rewarding life. And that's really the name of this game we call 'life."
But you ARE lucky in two ways that are - or were - somewhat out of your control. First you are lucky you have parents who back you up and love and support you when you need it. You'd be amazed at how many parents do NOT do that. <sad face> Second, you are lucky that your speech therapist is Lou Heite. Lou and I have been good friends for many years, and she's one of the most remarkable individuals I've ever had the privilege of knowing. Keep in close contact with her over the years, Adam, and if you continue to be lucky, some of her will rub off on you. I know it has me. I am a better person because of her. <smile>
And speaking of therapy, Lou says that you are "taking a break" from therapy. Well maybe in the formal sense yes, but in reality the object of speech therapy is to allow you to become your OWN therapist. And that appears to be what is happening to you. So in that sense, you are still in therapy and probably will be for the rest of your life. Which means that you'll eventually be able to come to our NSA conventions and have a major blast! But that's a discussion for another time... <laughing>
Finally Adam, I invite you to read two other papers on this conference that I think you will really enjoy...
1. Chris Roach's "Nobody wants to hear about your stuttering...". You and Chris share the philosophy of getting on with your life!
2. My paper on "The Gift of Stuttering." It took me forever to reach this point, but I think this is where you may be going. At least I hope so!
I congratulate you both for a wonderful, inspiring paper! Lou, we need to get Adam into the NSA Teens group. He can add SO MUCH to that group! I hope to see BOTH of you in Nashville next summer!
Russ