Daily Blessings

Today, I observed a fellow aide in another room working with her students. She doesn't teach them, rather, she assists them in their daily tasks. I will be subbing for her tomorrow, so it was important for me to understand what I was going to be doing.

Her students are identical twins who will never be able to walk, speak with ease, or live life unassisted. Their afflictions are many, so they must rely upon others to help them perform tasks that we often take for granted: using the bathroom, bathing, eating, dressing. While their minds are agile and they are clever and intelligent, their bodies just don't work the way they are supposed to. On the outside, they look like teenage boys; on the inside, they are as vulnerable as small children and require as much care as babies. Both boys supposedly possess the intellectual capacity of an 18-month old, yet they demonstrate repeatedly that they are more clever than that.

It is obvious that they have a wonderful network of people caring for them. The twins arrive to school properly dressed, with snacks and lunches, they know the meaning of love and offer it freely to the ladies who help teach them how to manage self-care skills. They readily give hugs and kisses, and they are quick to pull jokes on the staff. Their attitude towards life is so positive despite the lives they lead that it's hard not to see what a blessing they are to those of us who are able-bodied. Their positive outlook amid adversity should serve as a lesson to the rest of us that no matter what our problems are, the choice is ours as to whether we are happy or sad with our lots in life.