Since everyone is talking about inspirational children I wanted to share one of my favorite poems written by a lady about her son who has Down Syndrome. It really puts handicaps into a new perspective.
WELCOME TO HOLLAND
byEmily Perl Kingsley.
c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.
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4 comments:
Having NEVER planned to go to "Italy" I can not even say that "I understand." But, CHOOSING to go to Holland I know the joys, thrills and wonderful experiences of Holland that the majority of the world will NEVER experience. Many days I am sad that they will NEVER know the joy that having a Deaf child in their life brings you. Does that mean I want babies to be born deaf? No, not necessarily. It means I have a treasure, a gift, a joy, an experience that I would NEVER EVER EVER trade for ANY THING in this WHOLE WORLD.
He and I have talked about it. I would NOT want Sekoe to be hearing. I want Sekoe to be Sekoe and Sekoe is deaf.
I am INCREDIBLY blessed. I wish the parents of the world could know the blessings I have because I have the step-son I have. He wouldn't be the person he is if he were not deaf. I would not be the educator, step-mom, woman I am if he were not deaf.
Mrs. White
I know what you mean. I hate it when people look at me or Molly with pity. Yes Tay-Sachs is a horrible disease, but the blessings I have learned having Molly are far greater than the heartaches. I feel extremely lucky to have the opportuntiy to love and care for a perfect soul. I often say that most people only dream of angels and I get to hold one everday. I look back at all of the thousands of people that she has touched in her short little life and I realize just why God gave her to me. I am a stronger person and I have learned so many life lessons. I never thought that a 4 year old would ever be my Hero but she truly is.
Your step-son is blessed also to have such a wonderful caring step-mom.
You know I have to agree with Mrs. White, though never having a child with a disability I can't truly understand what a parent must go through, but I would have to say I would consider it a gift from God to be entrusted with a child with a disability, not to say I would wish that on any child, but I would feel honored that God chose me.
I love this I have seen it in other classes and it really makes me tnink long and hard about just how much of a blessing life is.
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