My little sister Beverly, sent this article recently and I couldn’t wait to have time to post it on my blog. The article, which I encourage you to read for yourself, features my sister Karen (Aunt KK) who gets to take riding lessons at this non-profit center for people with disabilities. She’s sooooo cute!
This photo is very memory provoking for me. When I was in the fourth grade (Karen is two years younger than me), we lived in Lubbock, Texas. Karen had never had the opportunity to go to school. During those years, not much was available to people with disabilities of any kind. However, it was a good year in Lubbock because Texas Tech had a wonderful speech therapy program that included, in fact, specifically targeted children like Karen. Karen was rated as ‘teachable/trainable’ and actually got to ride a bus to the Tech campus. In addition, there was a school not far from the campus that also provided services for children like Karen. I remember she loved it so much and did very well rapidly. Karen’s tonsils have always been enlarged and medical services have, in the past, been very difficult to nagivate. The speech program at Texas Tech was so good for her in that respect. Anyway, I just remember how happy my mom was that her daughter had some opportnity finally. And, wouldn’t you know, Karen did so well, that she was featured on the front page of the newspaper to help promote awareness of the children, their needs and the opportunity available at the school.
Now that I’m talking about all this, I think I’m getting some timelines confused. Karen also had some college campus speech therapy opportunity when we lived in Houston at one of the universities. So, I may have some of this mixed up. The main point is, this child got to go to school when she was, let’s say, 6 years old for one year, then again for maybe a year when she was 10, ten again maybe for two weeks when she was 12 and then, never again, until she was a grown adult and qualified to participate in what was then classified as a sheltered workshop.
This opportunity for her to have services that help her with motor skills, speech, socialization, independent thinking, WHATEVER, is so totally awesome. My mom and dad would be so proud of her accomplishments. My mom dedicated her life to preparing Karen for life. Not an easy task by any means. She did a good job. Sometimes when I call to talk to her, she’ll tell me she’s nervous. I say, “What do you do when you’re nervous Karen?” She says, “Mama said, Cynthia, Mama said.” I say, “What did Mama say, KK?” She says, “Mama said, Ask Jesus!” Of course, I always cry, but, Karen is always laughing and yelling in the phone…”I said Jesus, Cynthia, He took it out!” … meaning, like the rest of us, when she’s stressed, she knows who to go to for the help that can’t come from anywhere else except deep inside. Isn’t that just awesome?
And as for my sister Beverly, she’s a really good sister and I love her. I can’t be there often because we live so far apart, but, one day, God’s going to help me solve that problem! Thank you Bev for all you do for KK. If anyone doesn’t believe that riding a horse can do all the things that the article talks about — think again. Karen’s awareness and her ability to form patterns of thought and communicate that thought is witnessed by me through every phone call. I used to not be able to understand her much on the phone, but now, she speaks in long sentences and though she does do some repeating, she will stop and think about what she’s trying to say and when she repeats it, it’s sometimes in a different order. I just think that is amazing. Karen is amazing.
So, here’s Aunt KK, still stealing the limelight!
