The Hurricane of Publishing The Whitest Wall

I should have realized that getting this book into my hands was going to be "one of those."

Good books are like that, they take time
...a lot of time!

There will be no special book signing today,
there will be no release party.
...good books are a battle that begins with the conception of the idea and the process of growing each word into a healthy form - ready for birth to the world, much like the birth of a child - they require toil and pain and attentiveness to detail - every small detail. They arrive when they are ready.

Today is FASD Awareness Day and we celebrate the 10th anniversary of an idea birthed by three parents Brian Philcox and Bonnie Buxton (author of Damaged Angel - highly recommended! http://www.fasday.com/ ) and Teresa Kellerman (www.come-over.to/FASCRC/ a tenancious advocate who has crossed this continent ringing out the truth of fetal alcohol.

Since 1999 - actually 9.9.99 at 9:09 am bells began ringing in New Zealand and rung on the hour around the globe.

What begin with just a few has grown to an international bell concordance ringing out warnings of Fetal Alcohol and the damage it does to a person's brain. The efforts of a united world must be applauded.

Excerpt from Teresa Kellerman (www.come-over.to/FASCRC/ website

On Sept.9, we would like to ring bells in every time zone to mark the "magic minute" at 9:09 a.m. We call this, the "FAS Bell Concordance."

In early August, we learned that the only carillon in Africa, the historic 37-bell War Memorial Carillon in Cape Town, South Africa will be ringing in the Moment of Reflection. Installed in 1924 in memory of those who fell in World War I, in 1924, the carillon has rung out on numerous historic occasions, including the release from prison of Nelson Mandela. The carillon is the largest musical instrument in existence, and its music can be heard for miles. Inspired by Cape Town's efforts, our volunteers have arranged FAS Day carillon music in Toronto, Niagara Falls, Hastings, NE, and Austin, and San Antonio, TX. Other church bells will be playing around the world.
We have come up with the bell idea as there is a purity about bells that reminds us of the innocence of children. As well, bells are historically associated with warnings, alarms, marking important moments, and simply pealing for the joy of connecting with the community. FAS Day is all of these things.

(From the Oxford English Dictionary:
Concordance:
1. The fact of agreeing or being concordant; agreement, harmony...
4. An agreeable or satisfactory blending of musical sounds or notes; harmony.)

I want to thank the tireless efforts of professionals and parents, friends and families who work towards a healthier and safe future for those affected with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

For our sweet daughter - one of 100 live births in the USA each year - 1 of over 40,000 each year. Once again I stroke her battered wings and once again she will shake me free to try to fly. We have seen growth - and love - and a settling that was not there are a teen - a rebelliousness of fighting her disability, but of accepting it and working to understand it. Her last fall was sharp and hard, she was bruised and battered in body, mind and spirit. But like so many of us who have faced diffcult life experiences she has come through stronger and wiser. Our daughter is not a book learner, though she can read - she does not learn from videos - though she can see - she learns from walking and doing and being - and that style of learning comes at a very high cost to everyone - her, her parents and our society.

May God Bless all the children born with Fetal Alcohol today across the world. May God grant us mercy and favor to change this 100% perventable disability and all work toward Building Better Baby Brains.

Visit http://www.betterendings.org/ if you would like our free public awareness quilt.