DETERMINATION: Sarah Weddington Lawyer for Roe v Wade

April 23, 2013

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Here I am with Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who at age 27, successfully argued Roe v Wade in front of the Supreme Court. In fact, at the age of 27, Weddington remains the youngest person to argue a successful Supreme Court case.Sarah is a very smart, sassy and fun woman with a terrific sense of humor.She told me she had no idea how the whole case was going to turn out as it was her really first big case. She was SO nervous arguing in front of all those very important people! Just goes to show, some of the greatest moments of your life, both personally and professionally, can be even despite being nervous!

Here is the background story on Sarah Weddington:

After graduating, Weddington found it difficult to find a job with a law firm. She instead joined a group of graduate students at University of Texas-Austin that was researching ways to challenge various anti-abortion statutes. After deciding that a woman should helm a lawsuit to challenge Texas’ statute, Weddington volunteered.

Soon after, a pregnant woman named Norma McCorvey visited a local attorney seeking an abortion. The attorney instead assisted McCorvey with handing over her child for adoption, and after doing so, referred McCorvey to Weddington and Linda Coffee. In March 1970, Weddington and her co-counsel filed suit against Wade, the Dallas district attorney and the person responsible for enforcing the anti-abortion statute. McCorvey became the landmark plaintiff, and was referred in the legal documents as “Jane Roe” to protect her identity.

Weddington first stated her case in front of a three-judge district court on May 1970 in Dallas. The district court agreed that the Texas abortion laws were unlawful, but the state appealed the decision, landing it before the United States Supreme Court.

Weddington appeared before the Supreme Court in 1971 and again in the fall of 1972. Her argument was based on the 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th and 14th amendments, as well as the Court’s previous decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized the sale of contraceptives based on the right of privacy.

Of the experience, Weddington later stated, “There was a sense of majesty, walking up those stairs, my steps echoing on the marble. I went to the lawyers’ lounge — to go over my argument. I wanted to make a last stop before I went in — but there was no ladies’ room in the lawyer’s lounge.”

The Court’s decision was ultimately handed down in January 1973, overturning Texas’ abortion law by a 7-2 majority, and legalizing abortion within the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy. By then, Weddington had been elected a state legislator. At the age of 27, Weddington remains the youngest person to argue a successful Supreme Court case.

In 1992, Weddington compiled her experiences with the case and interviews with the people involved into a book titled “A Question of Choice.”

Mary Anne Dorward book, “Words to Thrive By: Powerful Stories of Courage and Hope” is brimming with more inspirational stories.

“NO.” Can You Say It Without Guilt or Apology?

April 22, 2013

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Can you say “No.” as a full and complete sentence without feeling guilty or having the urge to apologize? I’m still working on this one.

Most people I talk to tell me that saying “No” is one of the hardest things to do in their daily lives. Why is it that the word “No.” is so hard to say without launching into an explanation of why? Why can’t we say “No.” without worrying what other people are thinking or whether we hurt their feelings?

IS SAYING “NO” IMPOSSIBLE?

It seems that this habit is so ingrained in us that we are almost unconscious of it. We seem to feel that we have to care others over ourselves, that we must take care of other people’s feelings over our own.

Enough is enough.

Next time you have the urge to say “Yes” when what you really mean and want to say “No” try this:

5 WAYS TO SAY NO

  1. Kindly: “No thanks. But thanks for asking.”
  2. Directly: “No.” (No explanation needed)
  3. Efficiently: “No. That just doesn’t work for me right now.”
  4. Appreciatively: “Thanks. But No thanks.”
  5. Considerately: “No. But thanks for thinking of me.”

 

5 BENEFITS OF SAYING NO.

1. You’ll get more time for yourself.

2. You’ll get more time the work you really want to be doing.

3. You’ll get more time for your creative ideas and the creation of them.

4. You’ll get more time  for the opportunities you really want to be doing and the time to pursue them.

5. You’ll get more time to be with the people who are most important to you.

So begin by putting yourself and your needs first and then take care of others- It’s like putting the oxygen mask on your face first on an airplane before putting the mask on your child . You can only truly care for others when you look after yourself first.

SAYING “NO” IS POSITIVE AND POWERFUL

Those two letters “NO” are very powerful and actually life enhancing!  Saying “No” is not actually negative. The word “No” is actually a positive affirmation of your needs and desires.

Once you start saying a firm “No” instead of the conditioned and automatic response  of, “Yeah sure,” or the guilt induced “Uh…..OKaaaay.” you might discover saying, “NO.” actually gets easier the more you practice it.  If you start saying “No” to requests from others that you really don’t want to do or requests that don’t meet your needs you might just feel a teeny tiny bit less stressed and resentful!

LET’S ALL LOSE THE GUILT!

So let’s all lose the guilt.  Let’s all start saying “No.” as a full and complete sentence and without apology.

Why do you think the word “No” is so hard to say?

PASSION: Why It’s Important

April 18, 2013

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DISCOVER YOUR PASSION

People come to me because they want to deliver a great speech or presentation. While each person faces a different set of obstacles on their way to greatness, one of the most effective ways to deliver something powerful is through discovering your passion.
THIS IS WHAT I REALLY LOVE
For some of you, finding your passion is easy—if you work in a job or area that you love, consider for a few minutes what you really love about your field of expertise. Then, keeping in mind what you love, talk to yourself out loud about how the topic on which you’re presenting relates to that love. The connections you discover might be tangential, but allow yourself to see how your upcoming presentation not only fits into your field of expertise, but also follows your passion. When you rehearse, and finally give, your speech or presentation, remind yourself right before you begin speaking: what I am about to say relates to something I really love.
On the other hand, what if you don’t love your material, your job, or even your entire field? Even in these circumstances, it’s still possible to discover passion and allow that passion to drive your presentation. Take some time to really consider your topic. Delve deeper into the material than you need for your presentation until you discover one thing about the topic that really fascinates and excites you. Even if it is a little thing, allow yourself to be compelled by this one thing you discover that you love, however small, and keep this in mind while writing your presentation and also later delivering your speech.
YOU CAN BECOME A POWERFUL AND COMPELLING SPEAKER
Regardless of where the passion came from, the difference between a passionate speech and a speech lacking in passion is astounding. So do your best to find something that you love about your topic, weave that passion into your presentation and this positive energy will catapult your speech above the ordinary. You will be well on your way to becoming a powerful and compelling speaker.What are some of the ways that you have been able to weave your own passion into your speeches and presentations?
For more inspiration, see Mary Anne’s book, “Words to Thrive By: Powerful Stories of Courage and Hope.”

SCRUMPTIOUS: Words To Thrive By Scone Recipe

April 4, 2013

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Photo Credit: Claire Soper Faughan

Claire Soper Faughnan and her daughter Libby Faughnan were the first readers to make my family scone recipe after they read my book, “Words to Thrive By: Powerful Stories of Courage and Hope.”

The Diamond Mines: Gems From Our Readers

This story is a true gem!

My earliest friend was Claire Soper Faughnan. My mother, Joanne Condrey Dorward and Claire’s mother, Susie Soper were dear friends.  Thanks to our mothers, Claire and I attended each others first birthday parties, were classmates in school, joined the same campfire girls troupe and went to the same Camp Augusta. Later in our lives, Claire and I were a bridesmaids in each others weddings. We even delivered our children very close in time to each other. Claire has been a very dear friend to me for many years.

Last year, Claire was one of the first people to purchase a copy of my very first book, “Words to Thrive By: Powerful Stories of Courage and Hope.” Her purchase of my book and her positive, encouraging feedback gave me hope that others would find comfort and inspiration in it too. Claire told me that she loved my book and couldn’t wait to try the scone recipe.

This past Christmas, I received a photo via email from Claire. Her daughter, Libby Faughnan and she had just finished making my scone recipe (pages 30-31) from the chapter entitled,  “COMFORT: Fresh From The Oven.” Once again, Claire’s words were of delight and encouragement. “That recipe is amazing and Libby had so much fun making the scones!”  Claire also enjoyed the fact that my cherished family recipe occurred within a book that wasn’t even a cookbook!

Recently I heard that Claire had won First Prize for her jam in the Piedmont Harvest Festival. I wrote her a note to congratulate her and today I heard again from Claire about her delicious jams and fruit butters: “Yes, I’m an experienced jammer!  I entered three of my creations:  Apple Butter (with apples from Shirley’s trees at the Ranch), Mixed Berry and Peach Apricot.  I almost didn’t enter the Peach Apricot, and that’s the one that got a first prize.  The other two got thirds.  In 2011 the Apple Butter got a first.”

I’m hoping Claire and I will try the scones again with her award winning jams and fruit butters on top! I’m sure it will be a delightful and delicious combination, just as out friendship has been for nearly 55 years.

 

If you want to try these scrumptious scones, the recipe is on pages 30-31 in the chapter, “COMFORT: Fresh from the Oven.”

Join the Words To Thrive By Community where together, we discover the power of words to transform our lives!

Buy the Book here: http://amzn.to/XbyNK5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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