The Invisible Boy And The Need To Be Appreciated And Accepted

Trudy Ludwig. 

She is a Hero of mine. 

There was a time when I admired athletes, movie stars, and musicians.  Not anymore.  Now I most admire KidLit authors and illustrators.  Trudy is probably on my Mount Rushmore of children's authors.

She has a new book, The Invisible Boy.  You should read it.  If you are a parent it should be on your bookshelf. If you are an Educator of any kind-- Teacher, Librarian, School Counselor--you must have access to it at your school. It needs to be in your hands and the hands of your students.

 

Every young person needs to experience a true sense of belonging. Every young person needs to feel valued. Every young person needs to BE appreciated and accepted for who they are. No. Matter. What.  Trudy's book addresses these important issues of Being.

 

So, what's the book about?  Read about it here.  And here.  Here, too.

This activity guide from Peace First may further help to foster a more complete understanding:  Inclusion/Exclusion.

There are lots of adults out there who are like the character in The Invisible Boy.  A book by Susan Cain may enhance your awareness-- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.

The invisible boy and others like him are easy to overlook or dismiss or disregard.  Please do not do that.  Start by reading The Invisible Boy.  It will move you to make a difference in someone's life.

 

Filter

Filter. 

That is the word I chose to reflect the way I want to live in 2012. 

Why Filter?  Some foods have been giving me wicked headaches and I decided it was high time to be mindful of what I put in my body.  Food-related headaches were wiping me out.

As I pondered this I also decided to Filter what/how I thought and the manner in which I spoke as well.  Sometimes I find myself fretting over that which I have no control.  Other times I found myself wanting to be more mindful with how my words were being received by others. 

Filter seemed to be a good fit for the word I selected to emulate in the the year 2012.

So,  as Fate would have it, just as I began to acquire a comfort level with my blogging voice and used that as a springboard to Twitter and picked Filter as my word for 2012 you will never guess what happened next. I was diagnosed with left vocal fold paralysis.  I literally lost my voice. 

No one wants to hear the word paralysis applied to oneself. 

Not ever.

This got my attention.

On the day of my diagnosis, I came home to find this on my NPR feed:  How My Voice Went Silent.

What a coincidence.  The same day I learn of my left vocal fold paralysis an NPR reporter writes an article about his own diagnosis with it.  Small world. The timeliness of reading his article was uncanny and helped so much to realize I was not the only one to experience such a thing.

Naturally, going though something like this provided the opportunity for me to learn about myself very quickly.  There is no ignoring or putting it off for later.  One thing I learned-- no matter how I try, I do not think I truly appreciate something until I no longer have it.  Everyone is probably like that.  I took my voice for granted-- the sound of it, the laugh, a whisper, a shout, everything...

Another thing I learned, crazy as it seems, is I did not worry over it.  It did not cause me to be afraid.  Nor did I have any anger regarding it. I accepted it from the get-go. That definitely helped me to move forward.

My word for the year is playing a part in my Voice coming back.  I Filtered-out the words and patterns of habit that could be unhealthy and negative and Filtered-in thoughts and beliefs that were positive and healing.  It is definitely an on-going challenge, but one that is making me better.  Isn't that what it is all about? 

What is your word for 2012 and how is it progressing thus far for you?  If you have yet to select your word I encourage you to do so. It could make all the difference.

More Books To Inspire

This next bundle of books in my Books to Inspire link are about Acceptance.

My personal pick is Acceptance:  Embracing Life's Experience by Wallace J. Kahn.  Acceptance is something I contiually try to better hone.  I think, for me at least, it is a life's work.  I've referenced Dr. Kahn in some of my blog posts.  Simply stated, if there was a Mount Rushmore for those who have left an imprint on me, he would be there.  Check out this book.

Willow is my KidLit pick.  It is written by Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan.  It's got a geat site for enrichment activities.  Click here to check it out.

My Professional selection for this bundle is Lost at School:  Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them by Ross W. Greene.  Quite a few folks from my PLN have read this and have given it rave reviews.  I have only just started reading, but it is certainly leading me to a significant paradigm shift.

 Be sure to visit the Books To Inspire link over to the left to discover more about these selections.