Today's guest host is T.A. 'Terry' McMullin. Terry is an award-winning author/speaker, whose personal memoir, Gathering Courage, will inspire, uplift and encourage you. Terry was transformed from a brokenhearted child with a reading disability to a college graduate and distinguished educator who encourages others to achieve their greatest aspirations.
How do some people find success despite hardships?
Life at its best is tough, and it is in the tough times that we must gather the courage to be, and do, our best. I grew up with un-diagnosed dyslexia which made school a living nightmare. Reading, math, everything was a struggle for me. No one knew how to help me. My learning disabilities caused me to end up in foster care when I was nine. I was adopted, then rejected by my adoptive family, and basically limped my way through high school. After graduation, I went to work at a small veterinary clinic in town, but knew something was missing in my life. That something was a college education.
It took some doing, but I gathered my courage and enrolled in a local community college. The first day of math class, my teacher said “I’m here to teach you college algebra. You will not fail my class, because failure is not an option.”
That simple, sincere statement was a turning point for me. She worked with each person in the class one-on-one, adapted teaching styles for each of us, and that was the key to unlocking my dyslexia. She was a mentor for me and influences how I teach today. With her help and encouragement, I taught myself reading and study habits and went on to earn both a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree from Texas A & M University.
That’s the short story. Gathering Courage is the long story.
It was a three-year project of reminiscing from the heart, of dealing with hurts of the past for the sole purpose of encouraging others. It began as a single thought, then a few words on a napkin set the dream in motion to form sentences on paper. The dream grew into a book that morphed into a life-long purpose, a mission…To make life better for others.
My dream became an award-winning book less than thirty days of publication. To date, Gathering Courage has won twelve awards and put me on a mission to tell my story, and, hopefully, encourage others in the process.
Each of us has a journey to share, a life full of excitement, challenges to be conquered, dreams to be fulfilled, and hard-earned wisdom to be passed along. Gathering Courage is my story, my journal, my struggles, and my accomplishments.
I believe my message is a testament to the endurance of the human spirit to survive setbacks and fulfill our dreams, even when the odds are against us. And it’s a message we all need to hear. Not only to help ourselves, but to help those around us as well. We are all important and encouragement to one another will make life better.
Encouragement does make a difference. Who can you encourage today?
"A heartfelt work that takes its time conveying lessons of pain and kindness . . . Readers will feel as if they’re walking alongside McMullin as she tells her story and advises readers how they, too, can survive setbacks". – KIRKUS Review
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