Disability & Voting is Natural

Kathie Snow is a dear friend of mine. We were both actively involved with advocacy issues for students with disabilities in Colorado in the early to mid-90s, and carpooled together to Denver many times. Her son, Benjamin and my Bonnie are almost the same age. They both have disabilities, but that is only one small part of who they are. Benjamin is articulate and witty. Bonnie is artistic and charming. They are both contributing, loving members of their families and communities.

Kathie owns this wonderful website, and publishes a newsletter, to which I subscribe. This month's issue includes an article about her son voting for the first time with her assistance, just as my Bonnie voted for the first time this year with mine. Bonnie and I used mail-in ballots, while they went to their polling place for early voting.

A "friend" recently accused me of using my beloved daughter in order to vote twice. That accusation hurt deeply, as my children are the most precious people in my life since I lost my husband to cancer in 2005.

This former friend is so wrong. My Bonnie, like other American citizens over age 18, has the legal right to vote and she exercised it this year. It is in her best interest to do so. We filled out her ballot together, and she signed it herself. She has an Obama bumper sticker on her lunch bag, and was very proud of her "I Voted" sticker. Please feel free to share this post (in its entirety) with interested parties, and include the link to www.disabilityisnatural.com if you do. Thank you.

~Deb Stover
AKA Bonnie's Mom

Impending Granny-dom

So many of you are such prolific bloggers, and I've discovered I am not. While I used to write four 100,000 + books a year, now I struggle to write one, but I am a very stubborn woman and I will finish The Gift.

My oldest daughter, Barbi, married her Prince Charming, Nathan, on December 2nd, 2006. It was a bittersweet day for our family, as her father--my Prince Charming--died from cancer in May 2005. He was definitely there in spirit, though. We were so fortunate to have both her grandfathers there to walk her down the aisle--one on each arm. Of course, a Colorado Rocky Mountain December wedding is never complete without a blizzard, so Mother Nature accommodated us there, too. :)

And now my little Barbi--okay, so she'll be 27 on Christmas Eve--is going to be a mommy in May. That means I'll become a grandma for the first time. I'm very excited about this prospect, and--as you can imagine--pretty emotional as well. She and I both first thought of her father, and what a wonderful grandpa he would have made. He would have been so well suited to this role in life. I'm sure, wherever his spirit is, he's looking down on his oldest child with his infectious grin and a thumbs-up. :)

Happy reading, all. And I really am trying to finish this long delayed book. Meanwhile, I have a story in the new anthology, Enchantment Place, released by DAW in August 2008.

Love,
Deb