Emerging Courageous online Magazine - Stories
I am the Disabled Child - author unknown
I
am the child who cannot talk.
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, for I cannot express myself nor my needs as you do. You cannot
conceive my isolation, so complete it is at times. I do not gift you with
clever conversation, cute remarks
to
be laughed over and repeated. I do not give you answers to your everyday
questions, responses over my well-being, sharing my needs, or comments about
the world around me. I do not give you rewards as defined by the world's
standards...great strides in development that you can credit yourself. I do
not
give
you understanding as you know it. 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 dept of your love, your commitment, your patience,
your abilities; The opportunity to explore your spirit more deeply than you
imagined possible. I drive you further than you ever go on your own, working
harder, seeking answers to your many questions, creating questions with no
answers.
I am the child who cannot talk.
I am the child who cannot walk.
The world sometimes 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 top
shelf. I need to go to the bathroom...oh...
I've
dropped my spoon again. I am dependent on you in
these
ways. My gift to you is to make you 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 child who is mentally impaired.
I don't learn easily, if you judge me by the world's
measuring
stick. What I do know is infinite joy in the
simple
things. I am not burdened as you are with the
strifes
and conflicts of a more complicated life. My
gift
to you is to grant you the freedom to enjoy things
as
a child, to teach you how much your arms around
me
mean, to give you love. I give you the gift of
simplicity.
I am the child who is mentally impaired.
I am the disabled child.
I
am your teacher. If you allow me, I will teach you
what
is really important in life.
I
will give you and teach you unconditional love.
I
give to you my innocent trust, my dependency upon
you.
I
teach you of respect for others and their uniqueness.
I
teach you about the sanctity of life.
I
teach you about how very precious this life is and about not taking things for
granted.
I
teach you about forgetting your own needs and desires and dreams.
I
teach you giving.
Most of all, I teach you hope and faith.
I Am The Disabled Child.
~Author: Unknown
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