No room for Lauren to volunteer at a church sponsored food pantry

 

           The Church at Auvers, Vincent Van Gogh 1890

Lauren and her supported living coach reached out to a local church sponsored food pantry regarding volunteer opportunities for Lauren.  After learning that Lauren is disabled, the Volunteer Director's response was, "I don't think this is a good place for her".

In spite of this response, Lauren's supported living coach pushed for an interview and opportunity to meet Lauren. The interview was short and resulted in being told that the program wasn't in need of any volunteers. The door was closed....no trial opportunity....just the clear message-- you are not welcome here.

In Amanda Gorman's poignant 2021 inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb" she stated, 

"Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.

If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made.

 That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb,
if only we dare it, because being American is more than a pride we inherit —
it’s the past we step into
and how we repair it."

So I ask, how can we help to "repair" our religious institutions and make them more accessible to all among us? The hill remains steep for inclusion and acceptance. 

Keeping it real,

Donna

Make a splash early!

 

Lauren didn't learn to walk until she was over 3 years old. But, she learned to swim much earlier!

I remember taking Lauren for private lessons (10 minutes a day). One day my mother came to watch the lesson. She sat at the edge of the pool in tears saying to me, "how can you do this to her?"

My response was, "because I love her and the ability to swim is a critical skill and the sooner she learns the better."

Well, the good news is that Lauren learned to swim and has enjoyed many years of joy in the water.

Sorry Mom🙏...sometimes daughter knows best!

Keeping it real!

Donna

OMG! She swallowed a whole Easter egg!

For most of Lauren's life, she was allergic to eggs. For Easter we always made Jello eggs as something to take to family Easter gatherings. 

Trays of deviled eggs were always part of  the extended family's Easter tables in spite of knowing how allergic Lauren was and how hard it was for us to keep her away from them. Oh well that's a topic for another day!

We held our family Easter dinner at Lauren's apartment this year, so of course we brought a plate of Jello eggs. 

She was so excited to see them that she grabbed one and swallowed it whole--before we could get it from her!

She looked at us like, what's the big deal and said, "Delicious"!!!

Keeping it real,

Donna