Day 2 of a BLOG. Thank you for checking back. Maybe I should give away door prizes. I'll work on that. I am finding my way blindly through this. My brilliant brother told me to post this picture somewhere other than at the bottom. You know as in, "A Picture Paints a Thousand Words." If you're reading this, then you know me. Eventually, somebody in Kuala Lumpur might find this BLOG and not have a good image of whom I speak.
What comes to mind this morning as I see my followers, is how all of my life I have hung out with the smartest people on the planet. Here's my question to you: What happens when intelligence as a "value" is removed from the equation. Where does that leave us? Come on, now. Haven't we each spent our entire lives trying to get to college, get our kids to college--be smarter, be more educated, be more "degreed." It all matters out there in the real world (the world away from the computer at which you are sitting.) So, raising a son/having a son whose IQ is falls in the moderately mentally retarded range---well, that's a whole new way of trying to figure this life out. My very own thoughts about myself and about what I claim to value in life gets slammed up against a wall. Seriously, now, what is it that we believe about our own self worth? What happens when the criteria is thrown out of the window? I don't think the rest of the world has gotten my own personal memo. Maybe this is it. Maybe this is my memo: Alert!! My son is not running on the same track. But wait! Is there only one track? Just a question. Remember--or believe me when I tell you this: I was scared to death of retarded people for most of my life. I think I still sort of am. OK, it's out there. Whew.
But, here's the other reality: I have to go and take Taylor to his "training facility" where they don't train him for anything. That's a whole other day.
Here's what you can be asking yourself in the meantime: How do you see people who are different? Do you reach out and acknowledge them as real and valuable people---people who are honored for who they are? What if they are drooling? Are you still in?
How I love that precious man-just looking at the pics-well the smile makes me want to kiss that beautiful face!
ReplyDeleteTaylor has taught me lots of things too. Sometimes when I am on campus as I try to get one of those questionable degrees, I think of him and our walks together on these same streets. I think I learned as much from Taylor as from any class I have taken at UGA. Not as much as you-but still. Keep writing. Liz
this is awesome- i LOVE it.-- of course the pictures are THE BEST!!!-- you are smart AND brave!! -- AND you have a lot to say! taylor is EVERYONE'S favorite.
ReplyDeletecee
Marianne - THank you for being willing to be OUT THERE! I know you have wanted to go on the road, but this will let you go on the road without really being away from Taylor. I have been laughing so hard! I love your writing and i am SO JEALOUS!!!! I can't write my way out of a paper bag. I can't wait to read the next post!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy picture of him playing guitar is so much better. You have my permission to use it if you want to take this blog to a new level. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it'll be interesting to see how pissed at Rush Limbaugh Sarah Palin is. He says 'retard' all the time. And that's way worse than 'retarded.'
Go Dogs.