Winter Field...

This is the same field and hay bales blipped by me on 20th January only this time they are minus the snow.  And there was blue sky between the clouds today but it was so cold that mono felt the right way to go!   

Whenever I drive round the corner that leads to this field and see the row of houses opposite it, it always seems to me that the houses should be looking onto the sea.  It just has that kind of feel.  

Alan's newest support worker Charlene has been on her first double shift on her own today (she's been shadowing another support worker till now) and her and Alan are getting on famously.   Of course it helps that she's young, attractive and has a great sense of humour, but it really is a joy watching and listening to him interact with her and see her confidence growing.
 
Like everyone as they get to know Alan, his disabilities fade into the background and after a while it's like they don't exist.   It's like not noticing your other half's specs anymore.   I can honestly say that it's only when I'm introducing someone new to Alan that I remember he has cerebral palsy, as for a moment, I see him through their eyes.  To me he's just Alan, my wonderfully loving and at times, incredibly annoying son!   
 
Some times though, real life comes crashing in and I was shocked, enraged and incredibly saddened when I heard from a friend yesterday whose son Aaron has Down's Syndrome, telling me that at the weekend Aaron and his support worker were in a cafe in Edinburgh and a waiter came and asked them to move to the back of the cafe out of the way, as a customer had complained that Aaron was making too much noise.  
 
Honestly, what kind of person must you be to do such a thing?  Well I know the answer to that and any decent person reading this does too so I won't vent my spleen here.
 
I am just so angry on Aaron's behalf that some idiot felt they had more right to be there than he did and my heart breaks for his mum as I know how deeply such incidents cut into our hearts.
 
Yes I understand that difference can be a bewildering and at times frightening thing, but a little tolerance, a little understanding and yes, a little humanity goes a long way.
 
And should you ever find yourself in a situation such as the customer in that cafe faced with Aaron did, and can't find that little bit of tolerance, understanding and humanity within yourself, then can I suggest that rather than complain to the waiter,  you remove yourself from the situation thereby immediately making the cafe a less uncomfortable place to be.
 
   Of course you could always just say hello and introduce yourself.  You might just learn something important AND make a new friend 

Amazing Dad

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.