Leisa A. Hammett

Author, Speaker, Advocate

Waving. Waving. That's me. The girl with the ginormous flag waving furiously back and forth. I've been waving some big, huge flag for some cause or another since about however long I can remember. But Autism. That. One. THAT handed me the biggest Flag of my Life. It also became the prism of my Life efforts. You see, I once lost a job--early on in my 30-year communications career. And, I've been divorced. And, like you, I've bumped up and down a lot of Life's bump-de-dump roads. And then, autism--my only child was diagnosed with this life-long severe disAbility when she was three. But, you see, I figure I can sit around and mope, or I can cope and hell, I can cope beautifully if I choose. I choose to be happy. I choose to celebrate the sunshine and the blue skies. (They're free! For all of us!) So, autism helped me channel my Life message and purpose into writing, speaking and advocating that--despite Life's frustrations, heartaches (I have a book with that word in it) and loss of expectations, I (we!) can Choose to Celebrate the Blessings, the Joy, the Goodness. It is my intention to write that, speak that, live that. Here and elsewhere I go. (And I like to go!)

While you're poking around "The Journey with Grace," check out my daughter's art at www.GraceGoad.com. (You can also click on the purple box that reads: "GraceArt.") Grace's talent for color and composition was discovered at the wee age of four. She began showing her work at age six, selling at eight and in 2007, at age 12, she sat next to me across from Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck on the set of "The View," which featured Grace's art and the topic of autism. Books, magazines and newspapers--both the insides and the covers--have featured GraceArt. (I'm proud.) And, I've been saying it for more than a decade: "Art is a Window through which we can view the abilities and potential of people with disAbilities." (Yeah, I cap the "A" on purpose!)

My first book, I co-produced with talented photographer Rebekah Pope (RebekahPope.com). It's: From Heartache to Hope: Middle Tennessee Families Living with Autism. (www.fromheartachetohope.org) And, I'm working on my second by the same name as this blog--The Journey with Grace: A Mother's Reflections on Raising a Child with Autism. (Publishers? Agents? Let's talk!)

On Mondays here, my Gemini nature gets the best of me and I write about some of my many current interests--Spirituality, travel, mothering, midlife and aging, nature, divorce (hint: I believe in thriving, if you didn't figure that out already,) politics and technology/blogging/social media and my beloved Nashville! On Wednesdays I focus on autism and other issues pertaining to disAbility. On Fridays, I pull back out my arts reporter hat and wax on about art around town and elsewhere. (I was the associate editor of the first incarnation of NashvilleArts Magazine, back in 2006-8, and also wrote about art for The City Paper). [In summers I go to twice weekly, but still manage to write about it all.]

Anything else? Well, ye-AH! Those 30something years in the communications biz include public relations, media relations, employee communications, nonprofit communications, magazine, newspaper and wire service writing, freelancing. In Atlanta I owned a small corporate communications company specializing in nonprofits and environmental issues (back before we forgot and then Oh! No! Remembered Mother Earth and how we take care of Her sure is important!)

Thank you for reading this little ditty about Me. And, thank you for reading my blog. Come back often. Friend me on Facebook. And for the love of god, will you comment please? It really means a lot to us telling our stories here out here in the blogosphere! Thanks again!