WELCOME TO HOLLAND
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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by Sharon Harris
You
weren't like other children,
And God was well aware,
You'd need a caring family,
With love enough to share.
And so He sent you to us,
And much to our surprise,
You haven't been a challenge,
But a blessing in disguise.
Your winning smiles and laughter,
The pleasures you impart,
Far outweigh your special needs,
And melt the coldest heart.
We're proud that we've been chosen,
To help you learn and grow,
The joy that you have brought us,
Is more than you can know.
A precious gift from Heaven,
A treasure from above,
A child who's taught us many things,
But most of all - "Real Love"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You Are My Blessing
Anonymous
You are my blessing
The love of my life
You are the reason
I have no strife
You bring me happiness
You bring me light
Your smile reflects
A joy so bright
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The below poem was
written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York
Hospital
Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
Or
listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down,
Do
you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred choresrunning through your head?
You'd better slow down,
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow?
And
in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die
'Cause you never had time to call and say, "Hi"
You'd better slow down,
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.
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Quotes to make you
think...
We can only be said to be alive
in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
•Thornton
Wilder
A strong positive mental
attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.
•Patricia
Neal
Most folks are about as
happy as they make up their minds to be.
•Abraham
Lincoln
Happiness depends upon
ourselves. •Aristotle
I am still determined to be
cheerful and happy , in whatever situation I may be; for I have
also learned from experience that the greater part of our
happiness or misery depends upon our disposition, and not upon
our circumstances.
•Martha
Washington
The purpose of life, after
all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach
out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.
•Eleanor
Roosevelt
Difficulties are
opportunities to better things; they are stepping stones to
greater experience.
•Brian
Adams
Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every
act creates a ripple with no logical end.
•Scott
Adams
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God Sent to Me an Angel
By Paul Dammon
11/96
God sent to me an angel,
it had a broken wing.
I bent my head and wondered
"How could God do such a thing?"
When I asked the Father
why He sent this child to me,
the answer was forthcoming,
He said "Listen and you'll see."
"My children are all precious,
and none is like the rest.
Each one to me is special,
and the least is as the best.
I send each one from Heaven
and I place it in the care
of those who know my mercy,
those with love to spare.
Sometimes I take them back again.
Sometimes I let them stay.
No matter what may happen
I am never far away.
So if you find an angel
and you don't know what to do,
remember, I am with you,
love is all I ask of you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I Am The Child
Author Unknown
I am the child... You
often pity me, I see it in your eyes. You wonder how much
I am aware of--I see that as well. I am aware of
much--whether you are happy or sad or fearful, patient or
impatient, full of love and desire, or if you are just doing
your duty by me. I marvel at your frustration, knowing
mine to be far greater...
What I give you is so much
more valuable--I give you instead opportunities.
Opportunities to discover the depth of your character, not mine;
the depth of your love, your commitment, your patience, your
abilities; the opportunity to explore your spirit more deeply
than you imagined possible. I drive you father than you
would ever go on your own, working harder, seeking answers to
your many questions with no answers...
I am the child who cannot
walk. The world seems to pass me by. You see the
longing in my eyes to get out of this chair, to run and play
like other children. There is much you take for granted.
I want the toys on the shelf, I need to go to the bathroom, oh
I've dropped my fork again. I am dependent on you in these
ways. My gift to you is to make you more aware of your
great fortune, your healthy back and legs, your ability to do
for yourself. Sometimes people appear not to notice me; I
always notice them. I feel not so much envy as desire,
desire to stand upright, to put one foot in front of the other,
to be independent. I give you awareness. I am the child
who cannot walk.
I am the disabled child.
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