What an exciting week it has been! First, my husband and I spent a few days at Foxwoods Resort Casino for a little rest and relaxation, and of course, poker! I brought my sash and crown because you never know when an opportunity will arise to promote awareness, opportunity, and the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation. I spoke to my favorite poker room floor personnel Jimmy, Mike and Edmond about taking some photos with me. Well things just exploded from there! They contacted Terri, the director of poker, and she was so excited she contacted their photographer and we did a photo shoot! There was a poker tournament beginning and you can imagine the looks we all got from the players. I kept my sash and crown on for the rest of the evening while playing poker. Foxwoods is a very accommodating resort. It is a great place to go for dining, shopping, clubbing, listening to your favorite music played by great bands, and of course, trying your luck in the casino or playing a few hands of poker. The poker staff knows me well and allows me to have my personal assistant show me my cards and put in my chips. It is a great way to increase awareness and acceptance in this form of recreation. Every time we go there we are greeted with open arms.

Secondly, last night I had the privilege of doing a songwriting workshop with the young adults at a Partners for Youth with Disabilities meeting. I spoke about my life and my platform of Creative Perseverance. I asked them what creative perseverance meant to them. I had written a chord progression to accompany a melody and lyrics which were not yet written. I bought the CD I made of the chord progression on piano and drums. First, I asked them to pick a topic. They chose "Best Friends." Then I asked them to give me different sentences about best friends. They had some really great ideas. My husband wrote them on a board and then we formulated the sentences to become lyrics and fit the music. I then played the CD and sang the music with the lyrics they had written! It was really beautiful! Music plays an amazing role in all of our lives. It crosses the boundaries of race, creed, social status, and disability. Disabilities in that room last night quickly became abilities! It was amazing to hear people singing along as as we played the song several times and they learned the melody. People were connecting with each other on a whole different level. They then asked me to play one of my songs from the band and I did and sang along with it and surprisingly everyone else started singing along! There are a lot of talented people in that group and I had the time of my life. I am posting a photo here but you can see more on my fan page

www.facebook.com/mswheelchairmassachusetts2012

Carpe Diem! Seize the day!