Chicago in Snow

• December 17th, 2007

I am in Chicago amongst a blanket of snow. This is the first time in distance memory I have seen a landscape like this so near to the 25th of December, ah the sweet warmth of southern living. No chance of blizzards of
ice and snow near my east coast abode. A scene I remember from my childhood but since growing up rarely seen or experienced in adulthood. Now while sitting in the “somewhat” warm home of my dear friend Lela and gazing out on this blinding stuff of white crisp frozen precipitation I am grateful. I am appreciative about so many people and things in my life today and it has moved me to write. Maybe that’s the holiday spirit creeping in on this recently battered soul……maybe it’s just being crystal clear about the moments or maybe it’s just the place I find myself right now. Regardless I am happy and have a sense of wonder that fits perfectly with the season.

A season of hope and adventure is what I long for and one that I most certainly want to contribute to, professionally and personally. Hope for the State of Virginia to finally make honest changes that benefit people with disabilities instead of the incessant committee studies that produce no more than rhetoric and recommendations, but rarely any action. Hope for true human rights and a system that actually understands and supports choice by the people forced to deal with a system that offers little more than a five bed group home and a day center to waste the day in. And finally hope for the thousands that sit on a waiting list year after year seeing a glimpse of the inclusion that most of us can not imagine living without.

Recently a number of people with disabilities were asked what was the single thing they would like to change about their lives……..their answer is not new but worth repetition, friendship. People in their lives who care about them…….simple and in the midst of this season of gift buying, decorations and credit extensions, this is something to put on your list that’s absolutely free, the gift of friendship, taking the step towards the reduction of loneliness, not just for people with disabilities but for all those left on the sidelines. This is an adventure worth going on……one that holds surprise and optimism, as well as good cheer. Tis the season after all.

So today with the cold and the ice I will keep my heart warm and expectant, I will anticipate the excitement of real change and I once again I will commit this soul through the uphill but worthwhile journey of being what I want from this world.