I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE!

For my entire life, I have suffered in silence with something to which I can no longer hold inside me. Through the years, I've used every tactic and deception at my disposal to keep my "difference" from friends and family. And I must say, it has not been easy. The stresses I've endured for lo these many years has taken it's toll.

When I was young, my parents, especially my father, were reluctant to accept it and even suggested how I might change it. They explained to me that it wasn't "normal". That it was rare occurrence in families and something we didn't discuss outside the family. There was even information be passed around the scientific community that suggested that this "difference" might even be the result of some sort of "brain damage!"

At school, it was readily apparent to me that I was not the same as most kids. I could tell it on the baseball diamond, the basketball court, in class, at lunch. Sometimes, the cruel kids at school would point it out and I'd be the object of ridicule. There were even teachers who came to me and said they knew of ways that I could be "fixed".

I wanted to be like everyone else. And I even tried some of the methods they suggested, but it just didn't work. During the last 60's and the 70's, it wasn't something that I'd openly talk about, even with friends. The times just weren't right. Society in general was not ready to let it be general knowledge. We kept things like this hidden from others. I'm sure my parents wanted me to have the same advantages as every other kid and not be pigeon-holed.

But now, I believe that, in today's more (dare I say it) liberal society where just about anything goes, you; all my friends and family, will be accepting of me. Doesn't it just seem so cruel and inhumane to you that something like this would cause you to turn from me? Don't we pride ourselves today in America to accept the person, regardless of their differences? We are the nation of the great "melting-pot" with many cultures, customs, and colors! We aren't living in the 50's any longer. I ask that you look deep inside yourself for an answer.

To paraphrase a great man, "I want to live in a country where I am judged not by my idiosyncrasies, but by the content of my character!" So, the time has come for you to know. And by now, I'm sure that many of you have guessed my secret. So here it is. My name is Mike Grassi and yes, I am left-handed!