Exciting News!

Tonight I finally decided to sit down and write about the EXCITING things that are going on with the organization. We just filed our paperwork for the State of Tennessee to be a nonprofit here! We should receive our paperwork within the next two weeks and then on to the IRS!!!!!!

I had a wonderful meeting with a neurologist here in Nashville. We talked about epilepsy and autism as well as the My Epilepsy Story. It is exciting to see things falling into place with the organization. We have also added a new board member, Helene Cole. She is a CPA here in the Nashville area and has so graciously offered to assist with all the paperwork for the 501c3 status. New brochures and letterhead are being printed! Thank you Lora, from Cumberland Printing for your hard work and patience with me. You have been very helpful and encouraging to me as we work through all the things that need to be done! Lora is very creative. She is the person that designed our logo and put a special story behind the design (I will share the story in a later blog). Our wonderful web designer, Andy McClung with AM Perspectives, has been so supportive and helpful. He has used his talents to update stories, the website, the blog, track our traffic on the internet and so much more! Thank you Andy!

As I sit here this evening, February 13, 2013, I am thinking of where I was one year ago…..I was arriving back in Nashville with Samuel, my best friend Suzie and her son Dima from Boston. Samuel had participated in a research study on children that were exposed to Valproate in utero. Through this study we received the formal diagnosis of Autism for Samuel. I remember loving our trip but so glad to be home with my loved ones! We were able to visit Harvard and MIT while we were in Boston as well as meet some wonderful doctors!

On this evening, I am smiling and crying about how far we have come as an organization. I am brought to tears to see how far my sweet son has come….I have had a lot of changes over this past year….some make me cry happy tears and others are tears of sadness…..yet through it all, we have grown closer together. I have started new relationships and old ones have continued to flourish. These are such sweet memories that are being made…..memories that will last a lifetime! In life we get to choose “JOY”, if we want it. I am choosing joy and loving the memories that are being made…….I look forward to all the exciting things that are ahead. How appropriate that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day….. I am LOVING this and Loving you! Thank you to EVERYONE that has been apart of this wonderful process. I look forward to the next year, 6 years, 16 years, 26 years, and beyond with you!