There are so many people in this world today who make a difference in the lives of our children with special needs. Mostly, these beautiful people have the personal experience of having a family member with some type of special need. It sparks a flame inside of them to help and give back. Sometimes, it’s a person who has worked in a hospital or has a friend who lives the Warrior life. These people are giving, loving, understanding and supporting. I wish to talk about two places I’ve encountered beautiful people this past week.
The first is a group I have blogged about before called “Just 4 Me.” This group is run by a mother whom I know well. We have been in a mom’s support group together for the last 14 years. She has walked the life of raising a daughter with DiSoto Syndrome. In her journey she experienced a lack of social gatherings after her daughter graduated from school at 26. She was watching her daughter lack the connections she had when in school. What does a mom do? She creates it. So the birth of “Just 4 Me” came about. This group, now a non-profit, has been helping anyone with special needs have a social club to belong to. They meet and have gatherings all throughout the year including a weekly Zoom night to keep that social connection up. It’s a passion and a purpose for the mom and it brings her daughter a great deal of joy and belonging.
We attended this Harvest Fest for this group this past Saturday. She had a wonderful gentlemen at The American Legion Hall donate the hall and the food for this event. (Another beautiful person). He made some of the best spaghetti I have had with all the accompaniments to go along. There was dancing, raffles, connections, and a room filled with love and purpose. The night was magical and full of fun for everyone.
To give, or just get involved or donate check out: https://www.just4menp.com/
The next beautiful person this week was a stranger. I had stopped at Aldi while my mother was next door at Meijer. I am a pro with a shopping cart and a wheelchair. It’s second nature to me. I had all of my shopping complete and I went outside to return the cart to get my quarter deposit back.
A gentleman who looked to be in his late 80’s gave me a warm smile and the look of empathy that sometimes comes across other’s faces. He smiled as he looked at me and Anna. He reached in his pocket and searched for a quarter. He then took the cart he had and insisted on returning our cart as well. He smiled again and handed me the quarter and as I thanked him he responded with his kind words of “Your most welcome.”
There are beautiful people lurking everywhere. They sincerely give and love and the desire radiates in their faces. They want to help the world, to give a simple hand to a person, like us, The Warrior that has a little (or a lot actually) on their plate. The feeling of love then stays inside of us for quite some time. The world is good and there are limitless beautiful people to be found.
It’s already mid October! Enjoy these fun ideas from our favorite inspiration: Sarah Ban Breathnach:
From her book: Simple Abundance, a Daybook of Comfort and Joy
October:
- Plan an outing to a pumpkin patch or a famer’s market Select the perfect pumpkin and get an assortment of smaller pumpkins to carve or buy small ones with the sole purpose of carving out the middle to make into a fun votive holder.
- Create a seasonal table. Set aside one small space on which to arrange an autumnal still life, wheat sheaves, pumpkins, gourds, indian corn with bouquet of dried flowers and preserved autumn leaves
- Preserve some autumn leaves, there are many videos on this fun project
- Dress up for Halloween or at least find a fun mask to wear when opening the door
- This is the month to plant daffodils, tulips or crocus for next spring’s season of showing off.
- Take a drive in the country to reveal the beautiful colors like Mother Nature is wearing a flamboyant dress! Pack a picnic and linger as long as you can.
- Get cider ready and make it hot when raking leaves, build a bonfire when you’re done and read some ghost stories!
- Spoil yourself whether you buy or not and look at the fun Williams Sonoma website, it’s the perfect time to buy your holiday gifts or spoil yourself with a fun new item!