our little ariani. she lives in the hole. and this was a special day. her and 100 other kids from the nutrition center were treated to ice cream by real life church. indeed this was a special day.
aside from watching kids guzzle down gallon after gallon of sweet tasting ice cream, the mayhem of them riding every ride and going down the slide and crossing the monkey bars, is a sight to see. i watched car after car pull into the bon parking lot, and i watched car after car take one look at 100 crazy kids and squeal away. i was kind of glad. this was their day anyway.
ariani is a little more special to me than even the other special kids that i love from the hole. i've gotten to know her and her mom over the last year. plus, i have a little place tucked away in my heart for kids with special needs. there's a reason they call it "special" needs.
we've determined that she probably has cerebral palsy and probably a cognitive disability. but you see that smile? that smile is there, every minute of every day. i've never once heard her complain that her mom has to carry her to the nutrition center every day. i've never once heard her whine when the other kids are running around and she can't. i've never once seen her feel sad or sorry that she was born the way she was. just a smile and an insatiable zest for life.
this day, i admit, as amazing as it is, i sometimes feel anxious about it. i get very stressed out feeling responsible for 100 kids. even though other staff are there to assist, i just feel overwhelmed. kids pushing, wanting more ice cream, wanting to be first in line for the slide...all normal kid stuff but all stuff that stresses me out. then ariani reminded me why i love this day.
there she was, struggling to get to the slide with her walker, waiting her turn for her friend from real life church to assist her up the stairs. sitting at the top of the slide. huge smile beaming from ear to ear and a whoosh as she slides down. at the very bottom, just two words, "otra vez." she grabs her walker again, rushing to get to the stairs to meet her friend who helps her to the top. ready to go down and whoosh. this time, even before she gets to the bottom, i heard the words "otra vez."
she went down that slide more than twenty times. each time the same beautiful smile as the first. each time sliding down like she'd never done it before. each time asking if she could do it again. by the end of her twenty or so times, she was exhausted. some of us discussed how it was probably the best therapy that she's had in her eight or so years of living with her condition. regardless of the stress or the overwhelming feeling when i think of taking 100 kids to get ice cream, i could do it every day of the week if i got to see little ariani...and her humbly grateful smile.
aside from watching kids guzzle down gallon after gallon of sweet tasting ice cream, the mayhem of them riding every ride and going down the slide and crossing the monkey bars, is a sight to see. i watched car after car pull into the bon parking lot, and i watched car after car take one look at 100 crazy kids and squeal away. i was kind of glad. this was their day anyway.
ariani is a little more special to me than even the other special kids that i love from the hole. i've gotten to know her and her mom over the last year. plus, i have a little place tucked away in my heart for kids with special needs. there's a reason they call it "special" needs.
we've determined that she probably has cerebral palsy and probably a cognitive disability. but you see that smile? that smile is there, every minute of every day. i've never once heard her complain that her mom has to carry her to the nutrition center every day. i've never once heard her whine when the other kids are running around and she can't. i've never once seen her feel sad or sorry that she was born the way she was. just a smile and an insatiable zest for life.
this day, i admit, as amazing as it is, i sometimes feel anxious about it. i get very stressed out feeling responsible for 100 kids. even though other staff are there to assist, i just feel overwhelmed. kids pushing, wanting more ice cream, wanting to be first in line for the slide...all normal kid stuff but all stuff that stresses me out. then ariani reminded me why i love this day.
there she was, struggling to get to the slide with her walker, waiting her turn for her friend from real life church to assist her up the stairs. sitting at the top of the slide. huge smile beaming from ear to ear and a whoosh as she slides down. at the very bottom, just two words, "otra vez." she grabs her walker again, rushing to get to the stairs to meet her friend who helps her to the top. ready to go down and whoosh. this time, even before she gets to the bottom, i heard the words "otra vez."
she went down that slide more than twenty times. each time the same beautiful smile as the first. each time sliding down like she'd never done it before. each time asking if she could do it again. by the end of her twenty or so times, she was exhausted. some of us discussed how it was probably the best therapy that she's had in her eight or so years of living with her condition. regardless of the stress or the overwhelming feeling when i think of taking 100 kids to get ice cream, i could do it every day of the week if i got to see little ariani...and her humbly grateful smile.
