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From: Jerrie Shepard Matney
Date: 14 Oct 2005
Time: 00:08:10 -0500
Remote Name: 138.88.206.244
Hi Alan, Thanks for a wonderful article. I have heard your name around the stuttering community for several years, but we have never really connected. I appreciated the discussion about your change of attitude, both in your article and in the responses that followed. For several years I carried around the negative thoughts that stuttering was ruining everything I tried to say, especially in public speaking and preaching. The little voice that reminded me how badly I'd done was ever-present, and my confidence was at an all-time low. Finally, through good speech therapy, the negative voices got softer, and I realized that stuttering was not the biggest thing in my life. I also realized that I was the one who could decide how stuttering impacted my life - I had given that power to others and the church. Taking back that control was life-changing for me. As happy as I am with this progress, I still have a long ways to go. I was struck with two sentences in particular from your articlce: "Stuttering is no longer an issue," and "Stuttering does not influence any of my decisions." Wow! I'd love to be able to say that, but I'm a long ways from there. Thanks for your encouragement to all of us who continue on this challenging and sometimes heart-breaking journey.