There is a second volume, Gifts II, in development. What are the submission guidelines for this next book?"

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Jennifer Graf Groneberg

They are focusing on fathers, siblings,therapists, doctors and etc. The first book were all about a mothers perspective and she wants the second to be more about like for example how sibling and there down syndrome sister/brother made an impact on there lives. I hope I explained that right!

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Kelly Rimmer
Mom to
Paige-11-12-92
Aaron-06-16-99(Adhd and Dyslexia)
08-19-05 (DS)
Kristen-11-1-06
Sydney- 3-8-08


Helen Keller once said
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved".

I asked my mother to submit a piece for this edition. She wrote this, sent it to me and asked me to submit it for her. I posted it on my blog, but thought I would share it here too.

Big Things in Small Packages

March 30, 2007

This child, like any child,
is full and round and fervently living,
giving her gift of naïve luminescence
to light the dark path near the end of the road.
My projeny, dearest of all human things,
Rings my heart with smiles.

I know that she is Special, has Needs,
but what I see is the full-force life
of one who chooses to take the best
out of living and leave the rest.
I am incredibly blessed that
her soul is here to remind me.

She peeks at me from tiny perfection
and grabs my hand for wide-eyed protection
but I am not sure whether hers or mine:
her eyes so shine with love and affection
I would walk with her to the edge of the world
And back, which of course is harder.

She trusts me to teach her but
trying to reach her becomes a big game;
she teases and shines me ahead or behind me,
child of my heart, her soul does remind me
to joyfully go on down that road to where
the water tastes like wine.

Just beautiful, thank you for sharing this Emily. I particularly love the phrase "child of my heart..." so true.

And I love that the next volume will include different perspectives. I think it's right and good that the first volume was the mother-voices, as I think it begins with us. But the story certainly doesn't end there!

I had a thought: it might be neat to do a future edition of Gifts in which all the same children are revisited, since so many of them are babies in the first volume. Kind of a follow-up, on where the kids are, and the families, and what's going on with everyone. I know I'd love to read it!

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Jennifer Graf Groneberg

Oh Jennifer, that is a GREAT idea! There was a documentary about little people (I think called Big Enough?) that did that! The first documentary was done 20 years before the second and interviewed lots of young adults with dwarfism; the followup visited all the same people in their 40s - it was awesome!

Love, love, love the idea:)

Emily

I love that idea as well! We're excited to see Gifts II come together. Family members and friends of the kids featured in vol. 1 are welcome to submit, but for this volume priority will be given to stories about other kids. Our publisher won't do this book unless it's clearly offering something different than what's in the first book.



Here are the submission guidelines:

The second volume of Gifts will include stories about individuals with Down syndrome written by a wide variety of individuals, including:

family members (such as parents, siblings, grandparents, and other family members)

friends (such as neighbors, babysitters, and other associates)

professionals (such as teachers, doctors and nurses, and therapists)

**PLEASE NOTE** Most of the stories in the first volume of Gifts are mothers' accounts of adjusting to their child's diagnosis. While similar stories will be considered for inclusion in the second volume, our primary purpose is to feature stories that offer other perspectives and experiences. We are especially interested in stories about school-age children, adolescents, and adults.

Please write about one of the following gifts that the individual has brought into your life:


PEACE: Describe how this individual exemplifies healthy acceptance of self, of others, and of life in general. How has he or she helped you to make peace with the circumstances in your life?

COURAGE: Describe how this individual has shown courage in the face of difficulty. What has he or she taught you about meeting life's challenges?

FRIENDSHIP: Describe what this individual has taught you about being a true friend. How does he or she exemplify the values of kindness, cooperation, and/or trust?

AWARENESS: Describe how this individual has opened your eyes. As a result of your relationship with him or her, what truths do you now understand? What beauties can you now see?

JOY: Describe how this individual brightens your days. How has he or she brought love, laughter, and/or happiness into your life?

If you'd like to submit a story, please follow these guidelines:

--Your story should describe how an individual with Down syndrome has enriched your life. (You can write about more than one individual in your story).

--Your story must be unpublished, or if it has been published you must own the full rights to the piece

--Your story should contain a clear main idea supported by examples, and should employ creative writing techniques such as the use of descriptive language, symbolism and imagery, and/or dialogue. Your submission should have a descriptive title, an engaging beginning, and a concise, memorable ending.

--Compose your story in a plain, 12-pt. font using a word processing program. Single space your text. Leave an empty line between paragraphs; do not indent or use any tabs. No handwritten submissions will be accepted.

--Submissions must be between 500 and 2000 words in length (1-4 single-spaced pages).

--Include the following information in the upper left corner of the first page of your story: Full name, street address, phone number, email address, story title, and word count.

-Do not send your file as an attachment. Copy your entire file and paste it into the body of an email. Put your last name and the title of your story in the email subject line, like this: mylastname_mystorytitle.

--Send the email to giftsds2@segullah.org.

Submission Deadline: June 1, 2008

You will be notified through email regarding your submission’s status by January 1, 2009.

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Kathryn Lynard Soper
Mother of Thomas (DS) 10/2005
Sam - 2003
Matt - 2001
Christine - 1999
Andrew - 1997
Ben - 1994
Elizabeth - 1993

Author of The Year My Son and I Were Born: A Story of Down Syndrome, Motherhood, and Self-Discovery



Editor of GIFTS and GIFTS 2

My daughter Paige is writing something too. Paige is only 14 but she has a heart of gold and is one of Alexis's strongest voices!! She stopped the kids at her school from saying the R-word and there is a boy with DS in a grade ahead of her and she made such a fuss over him and now he is one of the most popular kids at her school. Paige really amazes me and I read a few lines she was writing and put it down cuz I was tears! Im very proud of her.

_________________
Kelly Rimmer
Mom to
Paige-11-12-92
Aaron-06-16-99(Adhd and Dyslexia)
08-19-05 (DS)
Kristen-11-1-06
Sydney- 3-8-08


Helen Keller once said
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved".