Dear Readers: The end of 2019 approaches as my story segments also come to an end. I began this weekly blog about four years ago to introduce my story. Thanks so much for your positive responses and overwhelming support! I am grateful for each and every one of you, old friends and new.
Subscribers will continue to receive my popular Serendipity Newsletter on the first Thursday of every month. The final story segment that follows takes place in 2010, ten years after Beth’s injury. My memoir, Struggling with Serendipity, continues from that segment in 2010 to the end of 2018. My book has much more than my blog, including a disability resource guide, a Harvard doctor’s foreword, Beth’s letter to readers, spinal injury facts, and a book club discussion guide, as well as an offer to attend your book club meetings, in person or virtually. I look forward to connecting with you each month in my Serendipity Newsletter. Look for new adventures! Thank you, Cindy ❤️ Here is my last story blog: Her first year at law school, Beth received an email from one of the young women she mentored about a scholarship fund for physically challenged athletes. Thankful for the referral, Beth filled out an application and received help with tuition from the generous Swim with Mike Foundation. At their annual fundraiser at Stanford, she swam a smooth freestyle with friends. Beth enjoyed swimming in heated outdoor pools year-round. “I totally loved law school—and I recognize that’s rare!” Beth said in an interview. “Stanford was a sunny, social place where everyone was brilliant and interesting. I was very involved in the school, eventually becoming class president, and made friendships that are still some of my closest friendships today.” Beth worked on the annual conference for the National Association of Law Students with Disabilities. Elected Vice President at the conference, she bought her first smart phone to check her email more often. She learned to write emails and texts quickly on her phone with her left index finger, relying heavily on spell check. Voice recognition software had improved, but she still preferred to type everything herself. Beth regularly fielded questions from other students around the country. “At first, it was outside my comfort zone. But I enjoyed giving back and being part of organizations that can improve life for students with disabilities,” Beth said. “Disability rights in general is becoming a bigger issue.” As Beth’s 1L year ended, she finalized her 2L schedule, adding Stanford’s Youth and Education Law Project to fight for school services for children with a disability. I helped her clear out her dorm and move stuff into storage. I flew with her to Washington, DC. She shared an apartment for the summer with her boyfriend, each with an internship at different law firms. Beth immersed herself in research for her first law job and also enjoyed time on Capitol Hill with a legal team who lobbied for disability issues. At my request, she carried something to her summer office on a high floor: what they used at her high school during fire drills to carry her down the stairs, an extra vinyl sheet with handles. Never used, left behind, and never replaced. The 10th anniversary of Beth’s injury came and went without notice, except for my new compulsion to write about it. When my job at the nonprofit ended, I began my writing project by researching events and gathering media quotes. The actual writing part was daunting. I wasn’t sure I could do our story justice, but I had to try. Propelled by millions of small choices, time converged—and converges—into more infinitely improbable moments.
6 Comments
Jan G
12/19/2019 09:03:35 am
I have really enjoyed reading your weekly posts and following Beth's (and your) journey. And I loved your book!! I hope you will continue to write and I wish Beth a wonderful future!!
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12/20/2019 03:55:56 pm
Thank you, Jan! I'll be working on a new historical fiction novel that I outlined years ago. :-)
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Linda Stone
12/19/2019 02:13:54 pm
Thanks for sharing your journey! Much of it was a trip down memory lane as I relived our shared and similar adventures. Along the way I appreciated a glimpse into “the rest of the story” as Paul Harvey used to say. Thanks for your willingness to be vulnerable and share your struggles, as well as your triumphs and moments of unexpected joy along the way. I will miss your weekly posts, but trust that our paths will intersect again one day. In the meantime, I will look forward to your newsletters!
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12/20/2019 04:17:37 pm
Wonderful to hear from you! Yes, we shared amazing adventures. I'm so grateful for our journey and all of the people we've met. Thank you, Linda!
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I found this post in the overwhelming pile of holiday email I finally had the chance to sort out, and was surprised to discover it's the "finale" to the journey. Three things I want to say on such a momentous occasion: 1) Kudos to Beth for keeping on keeping on in the face of so much unrelenting challenge. 2) All happiness to you both--Beth in her new marriage and career; you with the book and your Netflix deal; 3) I am grateful to this blog for getting to know you, and look forward to our continuing friendship, as writers, as moms, as people who care.
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1/7/2020 08:23:58 pm
Thank you, Amy! I am grateful for your support of my story and for your continuing friendship. You are a kindred spirit. I'll let you know when I'm in New England next. I hope that 2020 will be the year we meet in person! :-)
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