Gail Williamson

Gail Williamson is the perennial "girl next door", mother of eight children, one of whom has Down syndrome, six of whom are her nieces whom she adopted upon the death of her widowed brother. She had barely seen her nieces when they joined them in a small three-bedroom home in the San Fernando Valley. According to Margaret Wolff, "That Gail's family are Evangelical Protestants and their girls are practicing Mormons was extraneous as far as she was concerned. So was the fact that Gail was launching a career to help her son and other disabled young people become actors in an industry renowned for its 'beautiful people.'"

Gail Williamson held the position as Talent and Industry Relations Coordinator at the Media Access Office (the disability resource to the entertainment industry), a job she created and initially funded through a grant from the Screen Actors Guild. She later became executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles. In 1999, Gail Williamson was voted National Mother of the Year by American Mothers, Inc. Despite all of her accolades, Gail most prizes her spiritual life:"My faith fills my soul. It amplifies my strengths and allows me to do whatever I need to do to help others access their own path."

The passages and questions below are offered as a starting point for discussion, and are simply listed in sequential order as they appear in the book.

• Page 207 [Wolff] Do you believe there is a Divine Order to things? [Williamson] "I think there is, but I don't think there's a list written in some big book that says what does or doesn't come into your life. What I really think is that there are many ways you can respond to what happens to you and that it's what you choose to do that makes a difference in how things turn out. ...I don't think there are wrong choices, just longer trips - or maybe deeper sadnesses along the way."
  • Gail Williamson's perspective in this passage on choice is very similar to Le Ly Hayslip (chapter 8), a devout Buddhist. The interviews in this book demonstrate how basic spiritual themes are shared across professions, ethnicity and religion. What other shared themes stood out for you?
• Were there any that surprised you? Why?
• Page 208 "Blair touches more lives than I could ever dream of touching. Yet the world was so sad when he arrived. This was the child who would hold Gail back, who would change our lives. Our lives did change, but not in the ways other people thought they would. You see, things are not always what they seem. I think miracles happen all the time. We just don't always recognize them as such."
• This is a wonderful way to explain how our expectations can limit us to wanting a certain result. One of my favorite quotes is "We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize." (Thich Nhat Hanh) In my own experience, as I let go of my expectations, new undreamt of outcomes happen. What is your personal experience with this?
• Page 210 [Wolff] Tell me about your spiritual practices. What do you do to fill that void [Williamson's concept that we are born with a vacuum in our soul]? [Williamson] "Prayer is the most important thing in my life. To 'pray without ceasing' brings me great comfort. I pray all the time, even when I'm doing the most ordinary things. I pray for my children as I fold their clothes. Sometimes, I even refuse their help with the folding just so I can use that time to pray for them. Everything brings me to prayer."
  • We've been offered different analogies for "praying without ceasing": "saying 100 blessings a day" offered by Rabbi Laura Geller; Miriam Polster using the word "immersion" rather than "connection" for her spiritual perspective. Do any of these provide you with a way to bridge the gap between daily secular life and spiritual life that so many of us experience?
• Page 211 [Wolff] Is it difficult having two different religions under one roof? [Williamson] "When the girls came to live with us, the only things they brought with them were their clothes and their faith. We couldn't take that away from them; it would have been far too damaging. ...The girls were worried we might try to evangelicize them. We understood their concerns and assured them this would not happen. Ours would be a home, we said, where we would celebrate the similarities of our beliefs. Our family would be like an orchestra where they play the piano and we play the violin, but we all have the same Maestro, God."
  • This passage brought tears to my eyes for a few reasons: 1) Gail and Tommie Williamson's complete focus on supporting their nieces; 2) their beautiful analogy of an orchestra. This interview stood out for me because Gail Williamson challenged my prejudices about Evangelicals. What was your reaction to her?
  • Does her example provide you with a different way to connect with those in your life whose religious views are more conservative than yours?
• Was there a particular passage that made you stop and either consider or appreciate?