Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/722388
8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • September 2016 letter to the readers PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR-AT-LARGE Chris Jones Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad OPERATIONS Stephanie Maldonado Julia, Tyler & Aiden's mom BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom ADVERTISING & SALES Julie Brosnan, twins Chris & Finn's mom Gemma Bruce, Bella's mom Anne Jones DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney Joshua & Spencer's mom SOCIAL MEDIA Brenda Sapanghila Archer, Maddox & Oliver's mom CALENDAR & COOL THINGS TO DO ELETTER Leigha Pecher Jake and Luke's mom EDUCATION ELETTER & EVENTS Debra Caffrey Aidan's mom COMMUNITY BLOGS Mary Becelia Katherine Laura & Robert Joseph's mom FACEBOOK COMMUNITY Pamela Quinones Corinn, Michael, Isabella & Dalton's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL adsales@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL socialmedia@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL editor@fredericksburgparent.net SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, Fred'bg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's standards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information con- tained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are subject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2016 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. WRITTEN BY heiDi DieUGenio LIKE facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent SIGN UP www.FredParent.net TWEET facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent PIN www.pinterest.com/ fredparent FOLLOW @fredparentmagazine i don't know about you, but i am just plain fatigued by all the junk in the news these days. As a result, I am finding myself tucking in and trying to keep my head down so that I don't have to be sucked in by the negative and the crazy. that is, until last night, when I ran across a Facebook post from friends living in San Diego, California. they were thrilled to share the tED talk they recently did. It focused on encouraging others, when meeting new folks, to lean in, ask honest questions and listen. they are qualified to talk about this because they are a unique couple. Steve was born with severe cerebral palsy, is confined to an electric wheelchair and has limited use of his arms. His severe speech impediment also makes him difficult to understand. As his wife, Elizabeth, admits, she was prone to smiling and nodding when they first met, fearful of leaning in to really get to know this "different" person and open herself up to him—f earful of his differences. Fearful of his disability. (He is the LEASt DIS-abled person I know. He recently scaled the face of El Capitan by doing thousands of pull ups over a number of days!) When she overcame that fear and scaled her own mental wall, she found the love of her life. What struck me was how their message applies to opening ourselves to individuals with disabilities AnD to those who might not appear "like" us or have different political opinions. Defensiveness does not keep us safe or right. In fact, it cuts us off and leaves us wanting. I challenge you to catch yourself the next time you retreat. Instead, lean in, open up and reap the benefits! Watch the Wampler's tED talk: youtu.be/JLzAWc5hqdy For more info about Steve's El Capitan climb, check out: www.wamplerfoundation.org/wamplersascent.html Lean In and Open Up Defensiveness does not keep us safe or right. In fact, it cuts us off and leaves us wanting. Steve Wampler Steve Wampler ascending El Capitan.