OT:Thankful

Good Morning Everyone!

It is a wonderful Saturday morning here in COLD *** North Dakota. The air is so crisp you could freeze your nose off. I guess it is time for me to hang up the spring jacket and bring out the winter one. I just try to make that a last event,knowing if I give in,winter will be that much longer LO L

As I am getting ready for my day I was reflecting back on many things I have to be thankful for, family friends,taking control over my health,My partner in life,putting me first and a bunch of other general things. When I think of family I think often of my sister who passed away a few yrs ago at the age of 39 ( she would be 58 come December). Even tho she was 11 yrs older then me we were pretty close. She was not one of who people call lucky- she was born with downs syndrome and had a hole in the upper chamber of her heart. They claimed she would never amount to anything,never walk,talk,potty train etc... She lead a full life and did all the things they said she would never do.She even had her own/shared apartment for the last yrs of her life. Yes,she grew up and left home. She was a comic in her own rights and kept our family in stitches a lot of the time. She was our super bond glue.

When I met Curt approx 8 or so yrs ago, he also had/has a sister with downs. My sister and his sister would of been best friends had they known each other. They are so much a like. They say that birds of a feather flock together. While I don't always agree with that, in this case I would have.

When I first went out into the work field I landed a job working with people with disabilities (group homes,work shops,vocational programs,job coach...), 20 some yrs later I am still in that line of work and would have never traded that off in a million yrs. I am(3 yrs) a paraprofessional for middle school aged kids with special needs.

I have so much in my life to be thankful for and this just touches a small corner of it. Thank you for reading this ,thought I would share. May your blessings and thanks be  plenty .

AND THEY CALL THEM RETARDED- And they call some of these people "retarded"... A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back... every one of them. One little girl with Downs syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle".

Have a wonderful weekend!
Kelly/tink

Oh Kelly, it truly does take a special person to work with people with disabilities, no matter how special they are, it is challenging some days.

I say this because I am the mom of a special needs son, adult 20 year old who has pervasive developmental disorder and Aspergers syndrome.  Sometimes I think that my issues with food were a lot from the stress of dealing with a special needs son (and practically raising my other two sons alone, as my husband has always worked long hours and/or out of town).  That being said, I DO feel I finally have control over some things in my life.

For the first time EVER, my son is living away from home.  He will be back in May, but for the time being he is in a program at Brainerd (Central Lakes College) geared for young adults with disabilities that picks up where high school left off.  He has individuals in the community working with him in his apartment and dealing with "issues" as they arise, and they do arise.  I get a call on a weekly basis for something.

So, bless your heart!  I am very sorry you lost your sister at such a young age, but look at what she was able to accomplish.

A month ago my husband and I became our sons legal guardian to look out for his well being.  He is naive and we do not want people taking advantage of him.

Have a great day.  I am trying to recover from a nasty cold this weekend - I lost my voice even.

Take Care All

Lori,
Thank you for sharing! There are many good programs out there for your son and others. There are also some not so good. With all the laws that have changed over the yrs things are looking up. I bet he will do just fine he has a great support network (your family,care givers etc..).

My sister or rather my mother was told (old world ways) she will not live past 14,will not amount to anything- lock her up and throw away the key.
Can you believe that is the way they talked back then? To this day it still floors me. I watch old movies of the way institutions were and it just gags me.

My sister did all the things I posted prior and lived to the nice age of 39 yrs old. So to heck with that doctor ,he knew nothing of a girl who wanted to live and that she did!

She was not lucky to have us in her life. We were lucky to have had her in our lives. She made a special impact and brought us joy and laughter. Yes, there were some down times but all in all it was wonderful.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving
Kelly
( group is Dec 9Th- the pot luck one) same time,same bat channel LOL

Thanks for sharing you two! Just a few more tidbits to help get to know you both better.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Becky

Laffs as if beer cheese soup wasn't enough
Kelly