The posting that follows was not written by me. It actually came to me from one of the professors at the community college that our son, Ian, attends. It is simply a short writing assignment, on any topic the student wanted to write about. It was NOT written by Ian, but actually by another student in the class. I'm not posting the name for that student's privacy.
The reasons I'm posting this are twofold, and really aren't about Ian or about us (at least the big point, anyway). I'm posting it because I know that every parent of a child with a disability goes through what we do, that constant fear and self-questioning of every decision we make concerning our child from the time he was born until now - the asking ourselves if we are doing the right things and making the right choices. Also, I want you to think as well about the point I make in many of my workshops - that our children need to be exposed to the world. Our children not just learn from the world, but in many ways are ambassadors from the world of those who have disabilities. Our children help to teach those in the world around us who have no exposure to the disabled community that our children are people, too, and have something to offer to the world. Please think about those points as you read this. To me, this is validation, unbidden, but nevertheless appreciated. I hope you see it as such in your lives, in the bigger picture, that maybe we are all doing the right things and fighting the good fight. It matters. The author did not write this for others to read, but to express something that has made him/her more aware of what it means to be human. Thanks, - Mark
Most people just walk around life being normal and not having any worries in the world. Not all people, but most of the human race just closes their eyes and turns their back to someone in need. I just do not get how we all can take walking around, looking at the world, hearing and tasting, and every day take that all for granted. For instance we all can wake up and have a bad day. Then mope around and complain about our lives when it could be so much more worse. Let's just say I had a disability and out of nowhere it came about. I would either be very depressed and not showing expression to live, or I would be thankful for what God has blessed me with and be thankful for what I still have. That is where my buddy Ian comes into play. He has the best outlook on life, very smart, and dedicated to his work and schooling. Pretty much what we should all strive to be. It just shows how much dedication that people can have. He is also very inspiring. For example he drives very well for having a disability, and he is so dang funny. I cannot even read sign language and the guy makes me laugh so hard. The other amazing thing is how he can write and use articles the correct way in a sentence. If anything he has made me think about the way I live my life and how I treat others. I really cannot say enough about my buddy Ian. I know one thing is for sure, he shows me every week another example of honesty, hard work, will power, determination, and sheer relentlessness. My buddy Ian.
