Accepting Our Own Worth
By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Lake Arrowhead Mountain News
What is a perfect circle? When confronted with that question, author John Michael Stuart is quick to say it is different for everyone.
In his book of the same name, Stuart calls perfect circles the “circles we draw with our own abilities, without judgment or self-condemnation. They are our unique symbols of self-worth. Only by the acceptance of our own ‘perfect circles’ do we have the capacity to positively influence and accept others as they are.”
Stuart, who has been a part-time Lake Arrowhead resident for years, knows of what he speaks. Born with cerebral palsy, he faces challenges every day as he moves through life, talking with people who sometimes leap to the mistaken conclusion he is mentally challenged in some way.
“That’s my challenge,” Stuart says. “What is yours? We all have something to deal with.”