inMotion Magazine

November | December 2021 26 particularly down and depressed about my amputation, when into the room rolled a young gentleman with a smile on his face while he blew into a mouthpiece to direct the movement of his motorized wheelchair. His smile and positive attitude were the hammer blow that redirected my focus from looking behind, to looking forward and counting the blessings I still had. I learned it was not so much what you do, but how you do things, that can have a dramatically larger impact on others. Maintaining a positive attitude or offering a simple smile just might be the action that makes a change in someone’s life. I can no longer physically contribute as much as I did previously, but I can maintain a cheerful outlook while helping others and giving service. I’ve been majorly rewarded from my volunteering as a Certified Peer Visitor with the Amputee Coalition. Several times I received feedback that my visit or contact with another amputee was the activity which caused a 180° shift to a positive outlook or injected a bit of hope to what was previously thought a hopeless situation. I’ve also been told my continued effort to help others is inspirational and caused others to want to also do more for others. I will surely never know the impact of my service, but I can know and adjust my attitude so it might be worth catching. It is the little things that combine to create greatness. I hope I can do as much as I can, for as many as I can, for as long as I can. Seek opportunities to serve and remember it can be just a little thing that makes a dramatic change in someone, and in that you find your reward. I like to remember the words of Donna Fargo, “You Can’t Be a Beacon, If Your Light Don’t Shine”. -Jim Simpson Living in southwest Iowa, in the wonderful community of Clarinda, you will find me, Lori Veach. A little bit about myself; I consider myself extremely blessed. Being a daughter, wife, mom, grandma to three, sister, sister-in-law, and an aunt, you now know my heart. Having owned a consignment shop, and a pizza restaurant, you can see I have a wide variety of interests. My life message is coined after a phrase from, Robin Roberts, “Make Your Mess Your Message.” The years leading up to the decision to remove my leg were so difficult. All the surgeries and recovery time. All the wear and tear, not just on me, but the effect it was taking on my family was just so tiring. There comes a time when enough is enough. Staph E was eating my femur. Doing a lot of research into this world that would become my new normal, from talking to other amputees to a funeral director (I wanted to know what would happen to my leg), the decision was made. September 2018 arrived. I was so scared, but I wanted to live. Reflecting on the question, how has this impacted my life? Honestly, I am a better person. My sight improved. I no longer look, I see. I no longer hear, I listen. My passion is making sure there is correct accessibility access… everywhere. By realizing it is okay to ask, “why and why not,” many times, it is about starting that open conversation. Each of us has that one thing, or often more than one thing, that needs help or changed. Use the biggest word ever “IF”, what “If” I