I Showed Up and Fell in Love

I’m in love y’all!  In love with my daughter, Lillian, in love with Janine Cody, founder of the 20 year old Chromosome 18 Registry, in love with Rick Guidotti of Positive Exposure and in love with absolutely every one of my fellow Chromosome 18 Registry members.  I love the sense of family we share and the feeling of understanding and closeness that our common thread holds.

I attended the Chromosome 18 Conference last week in Tulsa; at which we also celebrated the Registry’s 20th birthday.  This was my 2nd conference to attend.  Attending the conference solidified for me that I am committed and will attend this conference EVERY year. More than that, I absolutely must bring Lillian and Thomas with me, too.  I want Lillian to experience the joy, love and fun that the other affected kids, teens, young adults and adults experience while at the conference.  I want Thomas to be around and experience the pure love and sheer dedication of the siblings to the affected individuals.  The absolute number one aspect that moved me the most was the Sibling Panel.  These beautiful kids, teens and young adults are the cream of the crop.  I must have Thomas begin to experience and be around these fabulous people.

I cannot thank Katie Bailey Schilly enough for inviting me to present at the conference this year.  Had she not invited me and stayed on me I would not have attended this year and would have missed this eye opening and good for the heart and soul experience.  My presentations were “Safe Social Networking and Online Communities” and “Enhancing Communication with Technology and Social Networking“.  I so thoroughly enjoyed sharing my knowledge and passion with my Chromosome 18 family.  It meant the world to me!

Show up y’all! One never knows what will happen when you show up at events and engage with those whom you share a common thread.  Actually, you can help steer what happens if you set your intentions BEFORE attending these events.  I’ll expand on this a bit more in an upcoming post about the 2010 eWomenNetwork Conference!  Rick  Guidotti, if this makes it’s way to you, thanks from the bottom of my heart and soul for your enthusiastic offers of help, support and Positive Exposure’s images in furthering the upcoming Turning Views Foundation and the Different iz Good movement! You are an AWESOME and BEAUTIFUL man and I look forward to collaborating with you!!

If you are a part of the Chromosome 18 family or, heck, a part of any organization that supports those with genetic differences, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Y’all are stuck with me, Lillian and Thomas now! See ya in Indianapolis next year ~ July 2011!