Today was a wonderfully productive social day. The 35th annual Christmas Bazaar at my son's school went off without a hitch. Attended by scores of people, from families with kiddies in the school now to alumni to neighbourhood folks to a few local politicians who rolled up their sleeves and work alongside us, the place was hopping with energy. All of the classrooms were set up with kid activities.........fish pond, golf putt, cake walk.........the usual fun stuff, and the gym held more baked goods than I have ever seen along with the baskets of abundance I put together, dozens of items to be raffled off, and craftie items made with love.
The Christmas Bazaar is such fun. I love being right in the middle of it, which is exactly where you would've found me today. My table where I sold raffle tickets for the baskets was located smack dab in the middle of the flurry. This allowed me the opportunity to see it all and welcome everyone who made a point of attending. Lots of conversations and catching up as well as introductions and new chats. The spirit of community and the spirit of Christmas combined into one. Just like it should be.
So here I am sitting late in the evening satisfied with the accomplishment, reviewing the many encounters and the one that is the most clear..........the one that makes me smile the most was more of an observation than an encounter. It has to do with a little girl named Greer whom I hadn't seen in a long while. She's growing up.
Greer is 8 years old and I've known her since she was a baby. She's tiny in stature which makes her look younger than she is, but she carries herself like a grown up 8 year old. I watched her skipping through the sea of people independently with her best friend while her parents stood by me to catch up through a quick chat. With her hot pink shirt on, she was easy to spot...........so I watched her interact with her classmates, fitting in, smiling, and projecting a sense of belonging and security to her surroundings.
Greer amazes me. Up until recently she would've marched herself over to me to ask me where my husband was (her favourite person in the whole world..........I really don't count...........) and then where my son was (her second favourite person in the whole world) and then she would stick close by. But she's beyond that now and as much as I miss being a touchpoint for her, I'm so pleased to see how well she has blended in. Since she was born with Down's Syndrome, this is a very big accomplishment. So is reading at her grade level, which she can..........so is adding double digits numbers, which she has learned this year. She has the ability to ride a horse without a guide, and knows how to tap dance. She can swim like a fish.........and ride a bike fast. Today, I learned that she has figured out how to make friends......real girlfriends....... I know now that she fits right in with the 8 year olds in her class. That warms my heart.
She's a determined little fighter, our Greer. Always clear about what she wants and doesn't want...............this temperment of hers allowed her to survive infancy. Born with heart ailments, she had to endure life threatening surgery which had to be delayed a couple of times while she struggled through one respiratory infection after another. Though she still fights those, she conquered her heart condition. There's nothing wrong with it anymore................
Greer's determination and joy of life........her smiles and her demeanour........her thirst for books and knowledge...........are amazing all the adults in her life. Her doctor is blown away by her development along with her teachers, her family, and friends like me. We have a tendancy to expect less from individuals with disabilities. When I was studying at university about Down's Syndrome, I was taught that their IQ fell always within a 10 point range, below average along with other misguided parameters. They could never learn to read, understand the concept of time, get math. Time and again, I have learned the information I was fed about exceptionalities is just plain wrong. Greer is a living breathing acting running jumping smiling joyful smart sassy friendly determined focused example of that.
Today was a great day because I watched a little girl in a hot pink shirt take her place amongst the crowd. She's a beautiful member of our community and I love her dearly. She makes my community world shine brighter. I can't wait to watch her continue to blossom.
The Christmas Bazaar is such fun. I love being right in the middle of it, which is exactly where you would've found me today. My table where I sold raffle tickets for the baskets was located smack dab in the middle of the flurry. This allowed me the opportunity to see it all and welcome everyone who made a point of attending. Lots of conversations and catching up as well as introductions and new chats. The spirit of community and the spirit of Christmas combined into one. Just like it should be.
So here I am sitting late in the evening satisfied with the accomplishment, reviewing the many encounters and the one that is the most clear..........the one that makes me smile the most was more of an observation than an encounter. It has to do with a little girl named Greer whom I hadn't seen in a long while. She's growing up.
Greer is 8 years old and I've known her since she was a baby. She's tiny in stature which makes her look younger than she is, but she carries herself like a grown up 8 year old. I watched her skipping through the sea of people independently with her best friend while her parents stood by me to catch up through a quick chat. With her hot pink shirt on, she was easy to spot...........so I watched her interact with her classmates, fitting in, smiling, and projecting a sense of belonging and security to her surroundings.
Greer amazes me. Up until recently she would've marched herself over to me to ask me where my husband was (her favourite person in the whole world..........I really don't count...........) and then where my son was (her second favourite person in the whole world) and then she would stick close by. But she's beyond that now and as much as I miss being a touchpoint for her, I'm so pleased to see how well she has blended in. Since she was born with Down's Syndrome, this is a very big accomplishment. So is reading at her grade level, which she can..........so is adding double digits numbers, which she has learned this year. She has the ability to ride a horse without a guide, and knows how to tap dance. She can swim like a fish.........and ride a bike fast. Today, I learned that she has figured out how to make friends......real girlfriends....... I know now that she fits right in with the 8 year olds in her class. That warms my heart.
She's a determined little fighter, our Greer. Always clear about what she wants and doesn't want...............this temperment of hers allowed her to survive infancy. Born with heart ailments, she had to endure life threatening surgery which had to be delayed a couple of times while she struggled through one respiratory infection after another. Though she still fights those, she conquered her heart condition. There's nothing wrong with it anymore................
Greer's determination and joy of life........her smiles and her demeanour........her thirst for books and knowledge...........are amazing all the adults in her life. Her doctor is blown away by her development along with her teachers, her family, and friends like me. We have a tendancy to expect less from individuals with disabilities. When I was studying at university about Down's Syndrome, I was taught that their IQ fell always within a 10 point range, below average along with other misguided parameters. They could never learn to read, understand the concept of time, get math. Time and again, I have learned the information I was fed about exceptionalities is just plain wrong. Greer is a living breathing acting running jumping smiling joyful smart sassy friendly determined focused example of that.
Today was a great day because I watched a little girl in a hot pink shirt take her place amongst the crowd. She's a beautiful member of our community and I love her dearly. She makes my community world shine brighter. I can't wait to watch her continue to blossom.
1 comment:
Dear one ... what an amazingly beautiful example of the resilience of spirit. To blossom (great picture with your post, btw!) and grow in spite of physical and genetic challenges is an amazing story of perseverence. Thank you for sharing the story of Greer and the progress she's made. Also, thank you for sharing the story of the Christmas bazaar, it's so heartwarming to be witness to the beauty of community coming together and I love that you were right there in the middle of it all! Hope the rest of your weekend is joyful ... much peace, JP
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