This evening I went to talk to the mother of a “new baby” with Down syndrome. The baby was real cute, and quite alert. At 6 weeks of age, she was already making excellent eye contact with her mother as well.
As I looked at her, I thought: She’s looking at a different world than the one Ricki was born in. She probably won’t have to fight for an inclusive school placement. She will get several hours of “aide” each week, paid for by the city. Her mom won’t be told “She can’t go to that kindergarden, she needs room to be wild in!”
I am proud to have been a part of that change. It is very gratifying to know that you have had a positive affect on your community, and on individuals. For is that really not the measure of who we are?
But perhaps most important, I think, is to check where we stand in relation to those closest to us. It is around our family that we are perhaps least likely to be charitable. And family members are the people who are most likely to come in “rubbing” contact with all aspects of our personality. Perhaps we should try looking at ourselves through our family’s eyes, a “looking glass” into the measure of our souls.