We received a letter in the mail a few weeks ago telling us
that my daughter Ellen: who lives in a group home setting and attends a daily
program, was getting a recognition award for attending the program for 20
years. Ellen is not the type to care for awards, give her something to eat and
that is her reward, award and/or recognition. Top it off with some soda and you
are her buddy for life.
Five years ago Miss Ellie received a 15-year recognition
award for her attendance at this day program, and #1 Son and I went out to
Westhampton Beach to see the presentation. Miss Ellie along with about 50 others
received awards for various years of attendance. #1Son who came in from
California for the holidays witnessed his big sister’s flipping awards away.
Sitting up front her brother and I watched as they announced
Miss Ellie’s name to come up and collect her reward of recognition. As she
wobbled to the front of the room, led by a young lady she was presented with a
certificate, and as the whole auditorium of about 250 people watched, Miss
Ellie tossed the award without even looking at it, just flipping it aside.
This year, for Ellen’s 20th year award, TLW (The
Little Woman) joined me since she was on vacation this time. We drove for 40 minutes
to the Westhampton Beach Day Treatment center to witness the event. Sitting up
front and away form the view of my daughter, we took our seats and awaited the
start of the activity. If Miss Ellie was to see us, she would want to leave the
building and go home to eat.
In came my daughter, and was accompanied by a woman who
guided her, Ellen suddenly decided she had enough. She wasn’t going a step
further, and not one step further did she go. As sweet as she is, she can get
ornery and stubborn and un-moveable. But this is not the rule: it is the
exception. The noise, and crowd made her uncomfortable, so she decided she
would not tolerate it, so out she marched and out of view, having never seen us
in the whole process! So over thirty miles we drove and 40 minutes to watch her
walk out.
When she was announced during the festivity, it was said
that Ellen chose not to participate. Well pardon me!
We sat through the whole award ceremony and watched some
amazing things. Naming the years and presenting the recognition was not as
important as was most of these guys going up, some slowly, some agonizingly,
some guided because of blindness and reached not for the piece of paper, but
the dedicated people who presented these awards. Hugging and squeezing between
consumer and presenter was very heartening and points out what the human spirit
is really like, no matter how capable we are in life.
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