When You Look At Me What Do You See

Who do you see when you look at me? Most notice my wheelchair, my voice, or my crazy hair. I am me, just me, doing my best to live each day to the fullest I can. There is more to me than you might realize. I have gifts and talents that make me unique. There are also things I do just like you-things we have in common that you might not even know. When we take the time to learn about each other, something grand happens-love and understanding. Open your mind, your soul, your heart, and you will see the real me...when you look at me.

After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, a professor shares the lessons he's learned—about living in the present, building a legacy, and taking full advantage of the time you have—in this life-changing classic. "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." —Randy Pausch A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull over the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy? When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"—wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have . . . and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

This book is an introduction to the subject of perseverance and resilience. Children who develop resilience are better equipped to learn from failure and adapt to change. The simple, yet powerful words and detailed illustrations, allows the reader to connect with the characters' positive traits and enables children to emerge from challenging experiences with a positive sense of themselves and their futures. It helps promote personal strength and the mindset of believing in oneself.

Whether or not we recognize it, or wish to, each of us is initially judged on how we are perceived. These initial perceptions are almost always based upon physical attributes, past experiences, or simply developed over time. This story is meant to show just how superficial this type of thinking is and send a message of hope, creativity, and above all, acceptance. We are all different, and yet have many things in common. Hopefully, this will resonate not only with children but all individuals, no matter their age. Each of us needs to instill this ideal and understand that we are all unique and embrace who we are.

Mommy, What Do You See When You Look at Me is an endearing story of true love expressed between a mother and daughter. An inquisitive daughter challenges her mom to answer her questions. She receives her mother's adoring words describing the characteristics that make her daughter a unique and special person. There are beautiful attributes about the daughter that are easy to see. But this mom helps her daughter see the characteristics that are beyond exterior beauty. Readers will take a journey with characters who express the purest form of love in existence; it is the love between a parent and child. This story will leave moms and daughters with a yearning to share an embrace and a desire to have a similar conversation of their own. This is a perfect bookshelf item for any young girl. Mothers and daughters will love reading this story together again and again. This story is a great confidence booster for girls and will help them understand that there is so much more to a person than what the eyes can see. This fully illustrated children's book is ideal for moms and daughters to read together and will appeal to those who share this special type of bond.

What Do You See When You Look at Me... shares the love between a mother and her child as it is brilliantly illuminated in this short story. The adoration and passion that is felt from the mother speaks in volumes. She is awestruck with the amount of love that captures her thoughts and overwhelms her emotions. The mother holds onto hope that her sweet baby will remember these precious times as they snuggle close to one another.

Children all over the world dream to do, and to be, great things. Unfortunately, many things often block those dreams: social and economic realities; cultural and racial bias, etc. In school, parents may feel pressured to steer their children toward academic achievement while ignoring the child’s heart-cry to play, to create, to imagine and to dream. As a parent myself, I have noted my own tendencies to encourage academic success over heart-centered creativity. Most parents, teachers and child-care workers are balancing multiple demands and just trying to survive the daily grind! So, I offer this book as an encouragement to LISTEN closely to every child’s dream. Give their imagination attention. Perhaps, YOU will be the person who helps to make their dream into reality.

Celebrates the dignity, integrity, and honor of being a father.