Sticks and Stones

I have been drawing a blank lately on what to blog about (so if you have anything you would like to know about, please ask). I asked my DH what he thought I should write about and he reminded me of an incident at Borders bookstore.

After I had finished my chemo, on a VERY hot day, I went to Borders bookstore. Because it was so hot, I didn't wear my wig and my hair was kind of a buzz cut length that I didn't feel like wearing my scarf either. This was the first time I had braved the outside world without either. A VERY big step for me. I was completely self conscious of it! Anyways, within 5 minutes of being in the store (in the cancer book section, BTW) I had a little old lady giving me dirty looks and scoffing. Shortly there after, two teenagers were laughing and talking a little too loudly about me and my hair. It was so humiliating. I left the store in tears and wanting to scream at everyone. It was horrible.

We all grow up with the rule of "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". Why is it when we become adults or almost adults, we feel that we do not have to follow that rule? I am amazed how easily the world uses words that hurt. N-word, R-word, faggot, fat, ugly, etc... I have become so sensitive to these words for many different reasons. We work very hard to make our daughter understand that color, gender, sexual preference, weight, looks, and different needs are only that, differences. They make that person no better or worse than us. We are all people, we all have feelings and no one deserves to ridiculed. It is so hard with children because they do not make comments out of spite, it is out of innocence and misunderstanding. I hope that we are doing well and are teaching her to value ALL people, no matter what.

My beautiful niece, Madelyn, was born with Down Syndrome. She is amazing! I am in awe of all that she has been through and accomplished by the age of 3! She continues to make amazing strides, and I am so proud of the little girl she is and the amazing woman she will someday be. She is not an R-word or a diagnosis. She is a little girl with so much love to give, and who will make your heart melt just by watching her walk, for the first time, to the open arms of her daddy.

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
-Mother Theresa