WHO ARE YOU REALLY?

Introducing my cyber assistant, kiddo # 6.

He's one of my kiddos, but he's in the perfect disguise to illustrate a point.

While visiting Disneyland this spring, we played in the stores. We had a good time trying on all sorts of hats, masks, disguises. We became different people on the surface. And do you notice the gal behind him? What do you suppose she thinks of him? Should he care? Would her view of him be accurate? Yes, he's funny and willing to look silly, but he's also quite a mature teen. It takes confidence to be willing to be silly. Did you know that?



Many times, people make a judgement on who we are based on what they see on the outside. They don't know the real you underneath. They make assumptions and even tell others those opinions. Sometimes those verbal expressions can be very hurtful and way off track.

So today, I'd like to encourage all of us to remember to ask questions. Get to know people and find out who they are on the inside before we assume by what we see on the outside.

I've had experiences with others who think because I'm confident that I've never been through difficulty. It is precisely those difficulties that gave me this confidence. The desire to speak out about schizophrenia didn't come because I saw a good movie. It came because I lived with a schizophrenic mother. The desire to make a difference by helping other people move from victim to victor didn't come from reading a great book about it. Instead, I dream of being able to reach out and change lives through my writing because I am no longer a victim. I want to help others learn to be victorious.


Here's the crew that had time to go with me to Disneyland this spring:-)