Children make your life important. (Erma Bombeck )
A metal bar on playground equipment can be as elusive as the top branch of a sequoia tree, to a child with Down syndrome. Low muscle tone affects movement. I watch as a more agile child edges Ella out. We are at an Oktoberfest. The adults roam the booths.
Ella sits on the ground and covers her eyes. I could go to her and be an even bigger child at play. An unspoken protector. However, Ella needs interaction with peers. I wait. And hope.
A girl with thick, kinky curls stops where Ella sits. I don’t hear their conversation. I’m not included. My granddaughter follows her new friend through the maze of kids and metal. The other girl calls her by name. Ella smiles.
The other girl is more agile. Yet, she doesn’t appear to show off her skills. She leads Ella through what she can maneuver. For another half hour. Until I see the girl stop and raise her hand toward someone behind me. “Okay. I’m coming, Daddy.”
She needs to go home. To join her family. A family already displaying the importance of getting along. I don’t turn to see either parent. I take a picture in my mind of a girl with light brown skin, dark hair. The beauty of black and white joined. And a gift I hope to pass along in a few short paragraphs.
Peace in mini doses.
pic created from public domain photo and colored paper
terrypetersen 