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“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” —Anne Lamott
I am honored to share this inspiring episode especially with the state of disability rights being threatened in the US at the moment. My immediate family has lived with various disabilities, and I understand how challenging it can be, trying to live with ease in our busy, modern world. And yet…listening to 18-year old Sadie, who has such a refreshing approach to it all, I felt so inspired by her attitude. I know she’s not alone: this is a generation of kids who “get it” earlier than those who came before. Thank goodness for that! And they have a lot to teach those of us who grew up in a different era. I’m so proud to witness and lift up the voices of young people like Sadie.
Sadie, once a thrown into the spotlight as a child inventor, is now nearly finished with High School and ready for the next chapter. The self-awareness that has grown in her young life already astounds me. I’m inspired to be more like Sadie in my own activism, As she talked about her life-long dance with cerebral palsy (CP) and how she moved from improving mobility with her inventions to being a clear and vibrant voice as the advocacy-alchemist she is, something changed in my own attitudes. I feel very lucky to have had this interview. She’s a star and I’m a fan.
Also, I painted a portrait of Sadie for the Women’s Museum of California in San Diego some years back. She is still just as cute…just older and even more eloquent now.
Video of Young Sadie as inventor in 2018
Sadie’s new film project: THE UNBALANCING ACT
Much love,
Allison
PS, Each episode is recorded earlier than it is released. When we recorded, we didn’t know yet that the new Pope would be an alum of Villanova University, where Sadie will be going in the fall. Congratulations to Sadie…and to Leo XIV. Good company.
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