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Visibility, Disability, Acceptance: Rejecting the labels
I almost didn’t make a post today, because my topic is too close to my blog subject of disability. I didn’t quite know what to say or how to make a post on this topic. As an author and blogger who works to bring awareness to disability, it’s often hard for me to find the words to express my experience. You can read more about who I am and why this particular blog is so important to me on my About Me page. Visibility matters. Disability is a part of me. It’s a part of what led me to take a chance on becoming an author. I’ve blogged in the…
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Remembrance and Honor
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FaithFest 2025 still has room to improve, but offers hope in the midst of struggle.
If you know me, you know that my other great love, besides Jesus and writing, is music. This weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Wilkesboro, North Carolina for a Christian Music festival called FaithFest. If you have no idea what that is, allow me to explain. FaithFest is a two day music festival held in western North Carolina. Based in Wilkesboro, FaithFest’s open air venue is unmissable — you’ll know it when you arrive, because there is a giant white cross erected on the grounds. FaithFest is a great experience for Christian music lovers, and it does have some things I’ve never seen before I began attending. One…
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Remembrance and Honor
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Let’s talk about disability & visibility
So, as we head into the end of 2024, I want to let my readers in on a conversation I had with a friend who is also disabled. I was trying to decide what my final blog of 2024 should be, and she brought up something I hadn’t even considered. There’s a serious issue with people with disabilities being given the opportunity to exist and take up space in the world. Sometimes, all I want is to feel seen. That’s not to say that I don’t have people around me who do recognize what I try to do and give me support. I have an amazing community of family, church…
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True Thanksgiving: Gratitude in Spite of Challenge
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Faith Fest 2024
Back in September I traveled to Wilkesboro, NC, with my mom and two of our dear friends from church to attend Faith Fest. For some reason, this post has been sitting in my drafts for a while. For those who’ve never heard of this event, Faith Fest is a multi-day outdoor concert. There is also the presentation of the gospel by a speaker in the middle of things. They manage to get some pretty big names, and Jason Crabb ( a two time Grammy award winner and Christian artist) is often closely associated with the event and performs. As great as it was to be at a Christian concert, I’m…
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Thriving because of technology
Your life without a computer: what does it look like? Note: This was a WordPress daily prompt last week, but it was one that I thought my readers would be intrigued by, so I’m posting it a bit late. As a writer with a disability, I’d have to say my life without a computer would look bleak. Without computers, I wouldn’t have this blog. I also likely wouldn’t be a writer. Because of the nature of my disability, it is extremely difficult (though it has gotten slightly better after years of therapy and practice) to write by hand. My hands hurt even as I type, so I’d hate to think…
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Remembrance and Honor
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Traveling and balancing workload with self-care
One of the things that’s become a struggle for me lately, especially as I get older, is learning how to balance things out. This past week, I’ve been in one of my favorite places, but it hasn’t been without its challenges. Travel is the inspiration for this week’s blog, and it’s likely something I’ll touch on in more detail later. On the 11th of February, I was blessed to celebrate God’s gift of 33 years of life. To celebrate, I traveled with my parents to spend a few days in one of our favorite places: Charleston, South Carolina. As much as I love it, I think I still have a…
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True Thanksgiving: Gratitude in Spite of Challenge
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Perils of Disability: Fixed incomes and attending concerts
Isn’t it interesting how sometimes, an idea for a new blog post just drops into your lap? At the time that I began working on this week’s blog, I was in the process of preparing to attend a concert in a nearby city with some friends. To someone who is able-bodied, this seems like nothing. It’s easy to forget that what may be simple for you can actually be difficult for someone who struggles with their level of physical ability. Anyone who knows me personally will tell you that the only thing I enjoy more than writing is music. I’ve been singing since I was a young child. My mother…
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Remembrance and Honor
Thoughts on Life, Faith, Disability and the Writing Craft from E.S. McLaughlin
