Dear Ellie,
There are bigger things behind the stories that I've been writing you. Most of them aren't just meant for diversion or amusement. To some extent, I want them to be part of the emotional and intellectual landscape of your mind when you are young, and even as you grow older. I want them to infuse you with the idea that its never bad to think or ask questions. And beyond that, I want them to teach you that the journeys that we take in our minds can be just as exciting and meaningful as the ones that we experience in life. This is an important lesson I would want to impart to any child, but doubly so for you.
I don't know what difficulties you will have in your future. They may be few or many. Mild or Profound. Regardless of what they are, though, I want to make those troubles seem small with the stories that I invent for you. I will make you a part of them, as well, so that you'll never feel as though there are things in life that you are missing. We'll play games, nested in grand narratives, and you will be a character.
Maybe you'll grow older and have a hard time understanding numbers, but why will that matter when you are the proud daughter of an affluent merchant dynasty, counting your wealth?
Maybe you'll have problems with your speech, or trouble communicating with others, but that will seem like a small problem if you can strum in the voice of a Soul Kind.
Maybe you'll have trouble walking, running, or swimming, but you'll never envy others for these things, because you will be a Martian colonist, hopping along the surface of the Red Planet in low gravity.
Maybe your condition will keep you from traveling and seeing the world, but why would you need to? You'll float through the clouds inside of an invisible sphere. You'll swim through the oceans of an exotic moon with Oliver the Eel as its tides are hauled across the surface by a gas giant. You'll take a journey to the edge of the world and discover that to live, itself, can be purpose enough in life.
Some people might frown on these flights of fantasy. They might tell you that they aren't real and aren't meaningful, but I would say otherwise. All that we experience in our lives is painted on the canvas of the mind, so how real we want an experience to be, corporeal or imagined, is up to us. Live in these places with your mother and I, and we will always live happily.
I work with Ellie's grandmother and I read your blogs. I have such high hopes for your daughter. If she has 1/10th the heart and soul of her parents she is going to make it. My granddaughter was born prematurely, and only weighed 3lbs and spent a month in the NICU. Worst month of my life. She also had a breathing problem, she would forget to breathe so had to have machines do it for her. Her "mother" and I use that term lightly turned her back on her because "she won't be normal". Well she left her and my son when Kairi (Kyree) was less than a year old. She should only see her now. Did she suffer some minor problems as a result of her premature birth, yes but she does not know she is different from other children. She had to have both her legs operated on when she was three so she could walk like other kids. She has had her left eye straightened, even though she has no sight, cosmetically she looks like other kids. She has a slight hearing problem, and she was diagnosed with a mild case of Cerebral Palsey which affects her motor skills. So what she can't do jumping jacks, or ride a bike, maybe she will never be a ballet dancer, but she is a happy child, mainstreamed into the school system, growing like a weed. At 7 years of age she is a walking stick, she only weighs 45 lbs, but as she tells me "Nonna, I like the way I look", which tells me dad has done a good job of making her comfortable in her own skin. She may face bigger challenges as she grows older, because sadly the world looks at special children differently than family but she proved to be a fighter when she was born, the same as Ellie is doing now, and together these girls will change the world. Ellie may face some challenges as she grows, but with her parents and family by her side she will conquer each challenge she faces. The look on Kairi's face the first time she was able to run, climb stairs are memories I will always have. Just as the first time you heard Elli cry, will be a memory you will always cherish. May God bless her and your family. I look forward to seeing her grow through your blogs.
ReplyDeleteThank you Michele for telling me about Kairi. I believe, as was proven in Kairi's case, enough nurture can turn about any problem that a child might face. What you've done with Kairi is an inspiration and I'm happy to know that you are following Ellie, too on her journey!
DeleteI just wanted to clarify that Kairi has no sight in her left eye but does in her right eye.
ReplyDeleteI love the Soul Kind reference you threw in there. And Oliver floating through an alien ocean was also a great touch. He is keeping her safe.... :)
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