i wrote a new story the other day.
it was my lunch break and i was eating an illegal quarter pounder with cheese on a friday during lent in my catholic school classroom. i wrote it, in many ways, the same way i wrote a corner of heaven. quickly and urgently. as if the words were going to come flying out of my fingers. i don't know why it was on that day that the story came to me. i'm not sure why i felt such a strong call to write down what i wrote. but i know it's important. and just like a corner of heaven, i believe it is a story that needs to be told. my grandma asked me recently why i write the stories i write. i don't really know, i answered honestly. i suppose my hope is that i'm writing stories that help people. stories that make people laugh. stories that help people heal. or grow. or just feel better. even if it's only for a short while. i want to write stories that are needed. stories that serve a purpose greater than any purpose of my own. stories that make people feel less alone, just like my girl crush lena dunham said on a recent episode of girls. because feeling like you're the only one who is sad or angry or stuck is awful. when i was in college a professor once told me that my role as a teacher is to be the person i needed when i was younger. with writing, i want to tell the story i needed when i was younger. and that is what i did. this new story is about a special little boy who moves a lot. he has autism. and he is perfect, in his own way. as a child, i used to be so hesitant about anyone who didn't act the way i did. i was fearful of the things i didn't understand. i'm better about this now. i wrote this story so other people, old and young, may come to be a little less fearful of things or people they don't quite understand. i wrote this story in an effort to stop the eye rolls at loud children in a supermarket. the hushed judgments at restaurants. i wrote this story for my kids, so that they know that you can be wild and loud and lose control sometimes and there is nothing wrong with that. fear of people who are different isn't innate: it is taught. i choose to teach my kids about inclusiveness and respect. i choose love. no matter how loud or crazy or downright bananas it may make my classroom seem. i pray that this book inspires others to do the same. i pray this book helps families who have children with autism feel less alone. less stressed. less fearful of what is being whispered about their children when they aren't around. i have always believed that all children are miracles. the wild child is about one very special miracle. i can't wait to share it with you. stay tuned... ld
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