Sarah’s
Gift
Madonna
Dries Christensen
October
is Down Syndrome awareness month. With an economy of words, and two photos,
here’s one view of enlightenment.
My 10-year-old granddaughter, Sarah, has
Down syndrome. She’s a social butterfly; at school nearly everyone knows her by
name. She’s loving, thoughtful, sympathetic, compassionate, and given to
serious tears when she believes she has hurt someone’s feelings. It’s also
apparent that Sarah is aware of other people’s specific needs.
Sarah’s seven-year-old brother, William,
has autism. He sometimes socializes with his two sisters, but he’s easily
distracted into doing something else. William is nonverbal and uses pictures to
communicate. Although he loves school and riding the bus, a new classroom and
other changes in routine cause stress. Carrying pictures of things he likes is
comforting.
Sarah understands the comfort of
familiar things. Her doll, Inga, accompanies her most everywhere except to
school. One morning while William waited for the bus, Sarah drew a picture of
some of his favorite things: A school bus, a stop sign, wheels, a shoe, and
eyeglasses.
This simple drawing
brought not only a moment of socialization between siblings, but William
communicated recognition of the gift by touching Sarah’s arm.
Photos by Jill B.
[For
information about Down syndrome, see www.ndss.org. To learn about autism, see www.autismspeaks.org]
=)
ReplyDeleteI love that photo--the lighting, the way their faces are reflected in the table top, the tenderness. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteA loving moment was captured & that's a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteI, too, love that photo. So much is captured in one image.
ReplyDelete