CHILDREN OF HOPE

Yesterday was a good day for the simple reason that I experienced the hand of God, like I never considered it before.

As a Board member of the Association for the Help of Retarded Children, I took some time to visit the Seiff Educare Center in Bohemia, NY. It is Halloween and there was a; “Fall Family Festival” that included costumes, a parade and picture taking in a pumpkin patch that the staff created. The staff and consumers were all decked out in their costumes, and the only thing that shined brighter than the gorgeous sunny day was the smiles on the staff, consumers and parents that witnessed the event.

When you are a parent of a handicapped child, the biggest thing that overtakes you is fear for your child’s future, and disappointment that the child will never be normal. You feel the lack of normalcy that other parents have, you feel the sense of being outside, and you feel trapped. Desperation is no easy matter when it comes to your child. You wonder what you did wrong in God’s eyes that warrant such retribution?

You realize that there is no legacy you can leave him or her. You know that there is no real world anymore; there are no dreams, and no hope otherwise. Then one day you get over the denial and get up and do something meaningful. You enroll the child in a day program that is tailored to your child’s needs, and suddenly your child’s future has a new meaning to you. No longer do you hear the words: mental retardation, or developmental disabilities, but you then see "a child of hope." It is all you have, hope, that four-letter word that keeps you going.

I joined the Board because I was grateful for a place to take my child and do something about her situation. I can never dance with her at her wedding, or be a grandfather to her children, or even have a meaningful conversation with her, but I will give myself and all the other parents that share the same grief, hope.