Story from City of Hawthorne Event

 

I had my daughter Sarah (who is 7 years old) watch the clip. I told her to look for the message in the clip and that I wanted to know after she watched it what she felt and thought.

She was very silent as she watched it. Afterwards, I asked her what she thought of it. She said, "Life is Good!" I said, life is good? She said yea, my life is good. She asked if Nick was born that way and I told her yes. She again fell silent. I said what are you thinking? She said how sad it is to think that he has never been able to touch anything. She said at least he can feel hugs. I saw a lot of people give him hugs. She then commented on how if he never had touched anything before, he wouldn't know any difference. So she said then it really doesn't matter because at least he can feel.

In pre-school, Sarah was exposed to special needs kids. The school integrated some of those children in with the daily activities that all of the non-special needs children did. Some were in wheel chairs and some had downs syndrome and some autism. Sarah was never concerned with the fact that they looked any different than the rest of the kids. She was more concerned with how they did certain things (ex: go potty, eat, take a shower etc.). It's interesting to me that she's still more concerned with understanding how a person gets through their day, than with their appearance. Her cousin is autistic and Sarah has always showed great patience with her. She plays with her just like any other kid. That's a beautiful thing. Kids generally are visual. They learn to visualize first and then they proceed with thoughts about mechanics. Sarah isn't this way at all. Sarah is an old soul. She is wise beyond her years. I love her for who she is and who she is becoming.

To say that Nick is inspiring is an understatement. He's much more than that. I've always felt that you could make the best of any situation. Something positive can always come from a negative. Nick is a perfect example of that. He is obviously guided by his faith and his love for life! Whatever our religion, our lifestyle, our race, our handicap, etc., we are first and foremost people. The true difference that sets us apart from each other is the difference we can make in another person’s life. Life is about learning. We all have the responsibility to share experiences with each other. Nick is doing just that. He's reaching out and sharing his thoughts and simply teaching us all about life! My daughter Sarah said it best, "LIFE IS GOOD!" Nick's message just makes it better!

Have a great day!

Debbie

(10012009)

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