Image Description: Pink and white clouds in the sky

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Image Description: A person stands looking at the water with a purple and red sky

One of my biggest passions in life is tea. I love collecting teacups and tea pots. I display many of them in my dining room. Each piece of the tea service has a story and evokes a loving memory of the person who gave it to me. I also have an overflowing cupboard of assorted teas in my kitchen. My husband and I like to drink tea together in the evenings. I also love having people over for tea parties. Ironically, I didn’t like tea the first time I tried it. I can remember my mom having me try a cup of orange peacock black tea. I didn’t care for it and was convinced that I didn’t like tea. Little did I know that there were many other flavors. Another significant part of my life is having a Learning Disability. Much like my first encounter with tea, I didn’t like having one.

"A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets into hot water." Eleanor Roosvelt

I can remember when I was first diagnosed with a Learning Disability I did not consider it a gift that I wanted. As a small child I thought of it as burden and a hinderance to what I wanted to do. I was handed a package that contained a diagnosis that I wanted to take back. To my dismay I found that the gift had a no return policy. It felt like everyone else was opening the gifts I wanted such as doing well in school, making friends and being successful. Little did I know that having a Learning Disability would turn out to be a gift that would help me and others.

January brings a new year and most people hope for a better year. Many people set resolutions to lose weight, save money, and to make other improvements. Few people keep their resolutions because they get discouraged by set backs and don’t make it part of their lifestyle. Many people have been surprised when they hear of my success with having a Learning Disability. People will say “But your so smart or “You don’t look like you have a disability. Few people understand that having a disability is a journey not a destination. Most people see the success but not the failures and the hidden climb it took to get me there.

Shortly after we moved into our house we found a a cigar tree growing in our back yard. This type of tree produces beautiful white delicate blooms in the late spring or early summer. In the Autumn, the flowers are gone and stringy brown branches that look like cigars fall from the trees. One of the neighbors told my dad that I will probably want to cut down the tree, because of the brown that falls. My personal preference is the flowers, compared to the the dark branches that tumble down. However I can’t have the flowers, without the branches that come with it. I would certainly miss the flowers if I cut the tree down. Having a disability has been much like having a cigar tree. For so long all I could see were the long dark branches that fell to the ground. I wanted to cut the tree down and thought how much better my life would be without it.

Having a disability often feels like running a race. You will have to go through rigorous training and will be up against opponents who are far more skilled. The race may not seem fair or easy. Nevertheless, you must run the course you are given.

Sunrise at Coco Beach Michelle Steiner Image Description A bright yellow sun shines over the water on the beach

THE VALUE THAT A PERSON WITH A LEARNING DISABILITY BRINGS

WALKING THE PATH OF HAVING A DISABILITY