Ting ting 1998

I am the child who cannot talk. You often pity me:I see it in your eyes. You wonder how much I amaware of...I see that as well. I am aware ofmuch...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 developments 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 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 further than you would 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 worldsometimes seems to pass me by. You see thelonging in my eyes to get out of this chair, to run and

play like the 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 spoon again. I

am dependent on you in these ways. My gift to you

is to make you aware of your 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 learnas easily, if you judge me by the world's measurestick. What I do know is the infinite joy in the simple

things. I am not burdened as you are with the strife's

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 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 unconditional love. I gift

you with my innocent trust, my dependency upon

you. I teach you of respect for others and their

uniqueness. 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 about giving. Most

of all I teach you hope and faith. I am the disabled child.