This article was original published 2015 . It's been revised in 2022.

The jokes on me - I got my wish

How does a woman with a movement disorder like cerebral palsy become a professional juggler for attorneys, have the time to run a business, be available to homeschool her bonus kid or bonus grandkids, and keep a cheery outlook on life? I'd be lying if I said it is because I love to drink coffee. Although the coffee helps, it doesn't explain how a woman with no physical balance can balance everything I have going on in my life. The only answer I believe is I must experience divine intervention every day. I may never become a dancer, a juggler in a circus, or be able to wiggle my toes in the sand. I may never drive a car, either. But, even with a list a mile long of things cerebral palsy takes from my life, there are millions of things I can do and become just by being who I am.



In the past .......

In the past, I focused on what my cerebral palsy prevented me from doing. For many years, I was too afraid to tell employers, coworkers, and business associates that I have cerebral palsy. Because I feared being fired or suffering from some other forms of job discrimination, or some form of a hate crime. All of which have happened to me at one time or another.

And back in the day, I did everything possible to blend in (and appear normal). My physical impairment was a secret. Yet, all I have ever wanted to do is for every step I take, every word I write to mean something to someone else. I want to be that person who changed someone's life. It is not for fame or fortune, but to show each and every person that even in the face of their greatest failure, everyone is destined for greatness.

Then I figured it out.....

After that, I realized that I needed to embrace my cerebral palsy to succeed professionally and personally. Once I embraced my authentic self, something happened. Suddenly, I realized that juggling the demands of being a full-time entrepreneur, a case-juggling paralegal, a coffee-loving Christian, and a bonus mom was easy for me since I genuinely enjoyed all these things. I cherish and enjoy every minute of every day.

I am grateful for the opportunities my career as a paralegal, legal consultant, and coach has provided. My family and I love helping legal professionals achieve the work-life balance they deserve.

Sure, some days are better than others. Clients may come and go. While some clients disappear without a word, others stay, fade, and then return. The foundation for my business's success is forming relationships and networking, but some of my clients do not take the time to get to know me, my family, and my business the way they should.

Some days, homeschooling a kid with Autism makes me feel like I am Ann Sullivan meeting Helen Keller for the first time. Some days running a business can feel like I am the captain of the Titanic. When you add my role as a full-time coffee-loving Christian to the day, well, you've got yourself one hot mess.

Nevertheless, it is my life, and it works for me. I may not be financially wealthy, but to take the words of one of my dearest friends, "I have never seen a U-Haul truck behind a hearse" so why not do what I love instead of focusing on the things I can't change or the things I can't do. I can't take the money with me when I die, so why focus on money? It wasn't until I realized I was focusing on all the wrong things that balancing my roles as a full-time entrepreneur, a Bonus mom, and a coffee-loving Christian became a joyous daily event.

God may not have given me the ability to be a famous ballerina juggler in the circus, or drive a car, walk up and downstairs, button my own shirt, walk straight, or maintain my balance walking or standing still. But for everything God didn't give me, I was provided with divine gifts. I have compassion, understanding, a strong soul, and enough determination to master juggling my life's path. Despite my mixed hemiplegia cerebral palsy, God has made me a serendipitous, sometimes hilarious, entrepreneur, bonus mom, and coffee-loving Christian. He has made me a powerful woman who can fall over while standing still by tripping over her own feet. He has seen that I can randomly hug floors in public and make people laugh until they cry just by walking across a room. He has seen that I use all his gifts to be a paralegal who works side-by-side with the most fantastic attorneys in the United States and still have time to be a wife, a bonus mom, a successful sought after paralegal, an entrepreneur, a coffee-loving Christian & anything else I want to be!

The secret of balancing being an entrepreneur, a bonus mom, and a coffee-loving Christian is embracing and inviting divine intervention into your life. So, the next time you're stressed or struggling to understand what you are doing in life, take a moment and find the joy in who you are and the things you are doing in your life. When the stress of your day becomes too much, remember me because I am living proof God has a sense of humor and a plan. Sometimes, to see God's humorous plan for your life, you need to look at what you are doing and change your direction. Do what you love to do, laugh at the things you can't do. If you fall, own it! Remember, you are not the only person to ever fall smackdown on your face; shake it off and get back up! You only get one life; don't waste it packing a U-Haul truck for your hearse.



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Update!!

For those of you who enjoyed our posts about homeschooling like Ann Sullivan meeting Helen Keller, it's bittersweet to report.

The original version of this article was published in 2015 when our daughter was still living at home and homeschooling full-time. A lot has changed since then. Bethany, our daughter, works full-time, got married in 2018, and lives in Arkansas with her husband and two children. We are so proud of her. She is now out of the nest and doing well, using all the life skills we taught her, and that is the inspiration for this article. The voiceover for this article and podcast episode is not that of the author. Closed captioning and communication aid software provided the voiceover for this publication.