With this issue, "TOGETHER" comes to you a bit renewed. It has come a long way since it was only a mimeographed letter sent to a handful of mothers scattered across the country, mothers who wanted to feel connected and supported in a difficult task. Over time it became more than a letter: young people, children, parents, educators—all have found space here for their thoughts, their poems, their testimonies, their stories.
Now, those who receive TOGETHER will notice the change: the printed cover is a wish we make to each other—that TOGETHER will truly be something that unites all those who, living alongside a handicapped child or young person, feel the need for support, friendship, information, and counsel.
This hope will become real if we all want it to, and if we work together to make it happen.
Each issue—published every three months by subscription only—will be organized this way:
- Editorial
- Letters to Us: anyone can write their critiques, suggestions, requests, and so on
- For Our Reflection: articles or testimonies of a spiritual or religious nature
- For Their Education: articles and testimonies that help in the education and growth of our young people
- Experiences and Testimonies: young people and friends of all ages can share their struggles, their positive and negative experiences
- News: (life of Faith and Light groups): announcements, notices, communications from the various Faith and Light communities (we urge coordinators to send reports in a timely manner)
- We Recommend Reading: we will call attention to books and magazines that interest us and may help in raising a handicapped child
Above all, without grand pretense, we hope that TOGETHER will
- be the voice of everyone without distinction,
- bear witness to the vital role that handicapped people of every kind play among us, reminding us of our own poverty,
- be a true and authentic expression of a life lived "together" with the most vulnerable,
- finally be a sign of hope and peace for all.
- Mariangela Bertolini, 1976