I don't know if its the "Christmas Spirit" in the air, if we are willing the good mojo to find us or what; but I am loving every minute of it.
Last week when her and I ventured out to Hobby Lobby {this place is dangerous for most women I think} we had numerous people inside the store that were helpful, friendly and genuinely caring. Not only did the staff help me to find the things I was looking for quickly and easily, but so many people were talking to Jocelyn instead of doing that staring thing that we get so often.
When we left the store {I had an overflowing buggy because of all the gift baskets I bought} and as we were crossing the parking lot {you know that part of the parking lot that is just right outside the automatic doors that's loaded with inattentive drivers?} well right there, the wind caught one of my bags and it flew out of the cart and down the street.
Of course I was doing our normal routine of pushing Jocie in her wheelchair and pulling the cart so I didn't want to stop in the middle of the road to retrieve the bag because sure as shit one of us was going to get hit. Well, I did this awkward little dance jig trying to figure out what I was going to do first but to my surprise, one lady threw her car in park, jumped out and as she was on her way to grabbing my bag, so did this other guy. I was like "Wow! You both are so kind ... thank you so much!!!" Their simple act of kindness was so helpful and put that extra bounce in my step all day!!
On Saturday, during the early afternoon, Jocelyn and I went to the YWCA in Topeka to go swimming. Sometimes its a toss-up to the experience there with other people, but that won't stop us from having fun and doing some therapy by any means. Luckily, there were only a handful of people there, and again to my surprise, the ladies were nice!! The lifeguards on duty wanted to know all about Jocelyn's neck ring and my thoughts on using it. Then later, a gal that was probably about my age with a boy a little younger than Jocelyn {I overheard her say his 3rd birthday was in October}, started talking to us. She did the normal "How old is your daughter" which led to "I see she has a wheelchair. Is she able to walk short distances or does she require the wheelchair majority of the time?"
From everything that we're accustomed to in regards to the public, that was the best "getting your foot in the door" that I've experienced. She progressed her questions with inquiring to what happened in order for Jocelyn to require a wheelchair, was curious about cerebral palsy in general and what the prognosis would be for a child with this type of disability.
It would be easy to go "Geez lady, do you really want, or NEED, to know our whole life story?" But at the same time, she was a stay-at-home-mom who was also 31 weeks pregnant, probably in need of some adult conversation which I'm always game for and perhaps honestly was just curious. We ended up getting to chat for about 15 minutes. Her name was Roseanne {which coincidentally is the name of my fav old school show} and her son's name was the ever so popular Wyatt. They use to live in Iowa, her husband owned a construction company but the declining economy caused him and many others to go under with their business' so they moved to Kansas. Her husband started school again and is graduating this week with his degree in law with an emphasis in construction law. I'm not sure why I'm telling you all this except for she was easy to talk too and I learned quite a bit about her and her family as well. She ended the conversation with "If you ever need a lawyer ..." haha ... can't blame a woman for advertising for her man! :)
Then Saturday evening, while we eating at the Mad Greek {loooooove this place!}, we ran into another sweet gal named Trish. As Justin and I were enjoying our supper, and Jocie totally engrossed in her Elmo, a lady that was seated right behind me leaned over and touched my arm. Of course she caught me off guard, and as I turned around, she greeted me with a warm smile and the statement "I just have to know what type of wheelchair your daughter has!" It took me a second to realize what the lady wanted and I informed her that Jocie's wheelchair was called the X:Panda {this truly is the easiest pediatric wheelchair we've tried/seen ... and we've seen a lot! The actual seat part can easily and quickly slip into either a wheelchair base, hi/lo base or even a powered base when/if Jocelyn is able to use that feature!}. We visited a little bit about the wheelchair, I told her how much we loved it and the fact that it is pretty user friendly {meaning, it doesn't take an act of God to make a simple adjustment without having to take it in to the distrubtor}.
Trish shared with us that she adopted a 2 year-old boy, named Ethan, that sustained a traumatic brain injury from being shaken. My heart literally broke right there for two reasons: 1) because this little boy's future will forever be changed, more difficult, dramatically different; and 2) because this woman opened her heart and said "Give him to me ... I'll take him when someone else didn't want him ... I'll love him ... nurture him ... teach him ... give him my all even with all the "needs" he has ... I'm up for the task ... he can call me MOMMY!"
Trish expressed how involved Ethan was physically and how thrilled she was to meet another mom as eager as her to make a difference. Which now in hindsight, is such a profound compliment to receive, but she was so excited to share ideas and make that unique bond with another special needs mama. In the end we exchanged information and I'm looking forward to picking each others brains! :)
Then Sunday we went to Wal-Mart of all places, we ran into the sweetest ... and I mean SWEETEST ... elderly woman. We were in the craft section looking for glass glue and of course finding anything that would get Jocie excited to play with {when we go out, I try to make it an exploration opportunity for Boogie. Sometimes she loves it, and other times she makes it clear that shopping is for the birds!}.
This elderly woman was an employee of Wal-Mart and busy doing her thing when she saw Jocelyn and I. When she turned around to make sure she wasn't in our way, without any hesitation, she had this overly excited expression on her face, got to Jocie's level and started talking to her. Jocie instantly thought she was a hoot and gave lots of smiles as the ladies reward for being so nice and sincere. I was quite surprised by this ladies energy and eagerness. She freely started to talk about how she has a great-nephew in the family that is severely disable. She expressed that he was unable to eat or talk, had severe muscle weakness, at the cognitive level of a 6 month-old, etc but that he was "so awesome" and that "he was excellent at communicating even if he was nonverbal."
Trust me when I say that I have yet to come across someone of this lady's age that talked and understood disabilities in this manner. I was blown away in the best of ways! She proceeded to tell me how sometimes "Those who cannot express themselves verbally, are the best at expressing" and how "It would do us all some good to learn how to 'communicate' as well as these little guys."
Does this lady not totally rock?
Wow!!!
I'm thankful for these people that have fallen into my path lately. Perhaps they were actually angels that were carefully placed there at the right moments. Aaaaahhhhh ... I like the thought of that.
Share some niceness today! And like my friend Tina blogged a few weeks ago, you might be an "angel in disguise" to someone in need.
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