Publication Day! Blue Hydrangeas in Kaleidoscope

Happy day! Pride. Happiness. Honor. And tears, yes, tears of joy. All of these were mine this morning when I opened Issue 71 of Kaleidoscope Magazine and saw an excerpt from Blue Hydrangeas within its pages. This was the forgotten submission I recently wrote about in my blog post "Planting Seeds." Today is publication day and there it is, even made the front page. 

Why does this mean so much to me? Kaleidoscope is an online magazine published twice a year by United Disability Services of Akron, Ohio. It focuses on the experiences of disability through literature and the fine arts from the perspective of individuals, families, friends, healthcare professionals, educators and others. Many of the contributors are disabled. This is my second time published with them. They were the first to publish my short story "Ino's Love" back in 2009, proving to me that my fiction work was publishable. 

In 2009, I was at the worst of my struggle with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and other repetitive strain injuries, coming to terms with living with a permanent partial disability, and wondering if I would ever write again. Dark days. Seeing this story published in a respected, award-winning journal renewed my faith in myself and my future. It was a green light and I vowed to continue writing in whatever way I could. Now, seeing an excerpt from my novel in its latest edition inspires me to keep moving forward at my own slow pace. Good things do come. 

Please take a moment to discover this journal. The writings are lovely and enlightening. You'll enjoy the artwork. The artists and authors will move you. 

Disability does not have to be an end to one's dreams. 

Here's the link: 

http://www.udsakron.org/kaleidoscope/issues.aspx

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