differences...

[mtmynd]

~differences abide to the rule of selection~

the hat of solitude
wears well upon the head,
observance has entered
upon bended knees,
silent breath exhales
its relief into the pathos,
humor automatically arrives -
joy in the making...

how common can we be?
o! how common can we be?

_____?______
Cecil B. Lee

[judih]

differences - i also picked up on that thought this morning
what's different, anyhow?
how difference is the same, except different...

[saw]

there must be a tribal gene we can't breed out
so many feel the urge to close ranks lest they be destroyed by "others"
perhaps our entire purpose in this experimental earth endeavor
is to learn empathy, compassion, love for people that don't look like us
my youngest son had profound anxiety from being on the spectrum
and being ostracized in a private school...I only sent him to this school
because they recruited him, and agreed to wave the tuition ...they wanted him
because he was reading fluently at 4 years of age .....they understood
he would bring up the scores of the whole school, but when my daughter
was ill with leukemia, my son, a creature of profound habit was torn loose
from his mooring.....as the school began to see his differences become exacerbated
they threw him out....they wanted boys that were all alike
I enrolled him in an art school and it was like magic
every kid there was "weird" in that creative way, and thus No One was weird
a perfect fit

[mtmynd]

there must be a tribal gene we can't breed out
so many feel the urge to close ranks lest they be destroyed by "others"
perhaps our entire purpose in this experimental earth endeavor
is to learn empathy, compassion, love for people that don't look like us
my youngest son had profound anxiety from being on the spectrum
and being ostracized in a private school...I only sent him to this school
because they recruited him, and agreed to wave the tuition ...they wanted him
because he was reading fluently at 4 years of age .....they understood
he would bring up the scores of the whole school, but when my daughter
was ill with leukemia, my son, a creature of profound habit was torn loose
from his mooring.....as the school began to see his differences become exacerbated
they threw him out....they wanted boys that were all alike
I enrolled him in an art school and it was like magic
every kid there was "weird" in that creative way, and thus No One was weird
a perfect fit

Art came to the rescue! What a wild ride you've been on, Steve... documented here was a good read for me.

Our #2 son was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 22months old... a disaster of sorts in our lives but here he is, Downs and all else that the man has had to endure. He does what ever comes along with a sarcoma last year that was touch and go for us (again).... too much to list but as parents we do what we have to for our children, no matter their age. Nathan is a loner, finished public school at 20 the final year he could attend and has been, interestingly, enjoying his art... plus he loves 80's music and of course would be lost without WWE 3x weeky. He's pretty much bed ridden now, stays home the majority of the time, (a hermit like his dad! ) and he is happy with what he has. He is now 43 years old which is a good life for DS folks nowadays... we'd be lost without him. Differences are a way of life regardless of the life we're dealt. Belief in getting what we need versus what we want sure sounds like a realism afet experiencing so much...

[saw]

Cheers to you Cecil and to your family...most won't understand your challenges, nor all the beauty that lies within those challenges...it's another path that at times is a struggle, but has so many rewards average joe doesn't grasp....I've actually ( believe it or not ) had two children with leukemia...my oldest boy ( now 41 ) got it at 14, and my daughter ( now 23 ) got it at 6....my youngest son was a sibling match for a bone marrow transplant for my daughter....so all the kids were involved in some way...everyone is ok....but all have lasting scars....and side effects from brutal chemo...I will see all 3 today for thanksgiving , then youngest son is moving to Minneapolis...

Thanx for sharing your story with me....I will hold Nathan in the light.......Best to you and your family this Thanksgiving day

[mtmynd]

Cheers to you Cecil and to your family...most won't understand your challenges, nor all the beauty that lies within those challenges...it's another path that at times is a struggle, but has so many rewards average joe doesn't grasp....I've actually ( believe it or not ) had two children with leukemia...my oldest boy ( now 41 ) got it at 14, and my daughter ( now 23 ) got it at 6....my youngest son was a sibling match for a bone marrow transplant for my daughter....so all the kids were involved in some way...everyone is ok....but all have lasting scars....and side effects from brutal chemo...I will see all 3 today for thanksgiving , then youngest son is moving to Minneapolis...

Thanx for sharing your story with me....I will hold Nathan in the light.......Best to you and your family this Thanksgiving day

Many thanks for your comment, Steve. Having two kids getting leukemia had to have been a dizzying experience... but having them still with you is a blessing.

I hope you and yours are enjoying this day.