While I was trying to find inspiration for a post today, I was sitting at my desk staring at a blank screen when I looked up and saw this picture hanging on the wall. 
This picture was taken at the Special Olympics of NJ summer games when Colin was running in his future stars race. When Chris and I saw it for the first time (Thanks Cathy!), we couldn't believe how one picture could have summarized Colin and Kailey's relationship so well.
When Kailey was born, Colin was just one month shy of turning 2. When we brought her home, I was expecting to see this instant bond between the two of them form when in actuality, it was the complete opposite. It took a long time for Colin to start to really acknowledge her existence but once he did, we watched the evolution of what is turning out to be a true friendship form. It is no secret that in many ways, Kailey has caught up to Colin developmentally and surpassed him in areas like communication. However, because of their friendship, his social skills in turn taking, communicating, initiating play, expressing feelings, etc. have significantly improved. What is even better, the support they have for each other is one that could really be used as a model for a lot of adults. Families are the first people to look past the differences and see us for who we really are.
...families accept us despite the things that make us so unique from one another. I hope Colin and Kailey's friendship and unconditional love for each other can serve as a model for others that we should all look past the things that make us so different. Those things do not define us, but rather, make us into the people that we are.
1 comment:
Oh that picture...I am in tears. What an amazing capture!
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