Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Mila's Sparkle Becomes Noticed

I have been thinking a lot lately about what I can do here, in Colorado Springs, that can benefit kids like Mila. It's hard for me to know where to begin to get my ideas moving.  We don't have a huge friend circle established here in CO, so networking is grim.   I recently learned that there is only ONE park here, in a town of 600,000 people, that has a park with universally accessible equipment.  Seriously, one.  Not to mention, it's a park we don't feel safe at.  The universally accessible equipment is great for kids and adults with disabilities.  So, why is there not more in our city.  Before I go charging into the next City Council meeting, I discussed my burning desires with her kindermusik teacher, Mrs. Lisa, hoping she could shed some light on my heart.  Long story short, she supported the direction my ideas could go, and said it very simply, "we need to create a Caring Community."

It's only been a few days since we spoke, and this morning I received this email....

Were your ears burning this morning? I was thinking of you and Mila while I was watching Good Morning America. 
There was a lovely piece about a 12 year old girl planning a fundraiser to support a special Olympics type program in her town in West Memphis. Long story short... She has had a best friend since kindergarten who happens to have special needs. She is an aspiring singer, has written a song for him, and is now putting on a benefit concert in, I think, New Jersey to raise money.
The takeaway I got from this reminded me of our conversation yesterday, and I thought it might warm your heart too. Without her friend's gifts, would that girl be where she is now? Without her gifts, would her friend be where he is today? Mila will inspire so many children to be kind and compassionate. She will inspire them to go on and be singers, doctors, volunteers and teachers. They will be thoughtful of others because of her. These are all traits that can not be learned from a text book, they have to be inspired by others. In turn, Mila will have many friends, and have more of an innate love of learning because of her friends' behaviors towards her. She will have an important place in the world. 
I enjoyed this little girl's story so much, and I hope you did too. I think the whole story is on the GMA website if you are interested. 
Hugs to you and Mila today, Lisa


I could barely get through the email because my eyes were drowning in tears.  Happy tears.  Tears of Hope.  Our worst fear is that Mila will be outcasted for her differences or shunned because her quirks will be unaccepted.  Mrs. Lisa's words were exactly what we hope for people to see in Mila.  They were exactly what we pray for.  It's words like these that make me so grateful for our journey, although we may not understand His plan.  It's her words that make me so proud to be Mila's mom!


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