Mary Caruso

I find myself looking within every day and accessing the way I treat people and constantly striving to improve ways that I can become a better person.  I have been doing this for some years now but not my whole 53 years here on earth.  I wish (we are always wishing for something I had learned this tool years ago.  But that is why I move along this week with excitement as the “Wheelchair challenge” becomes a reality.

It has been said in this blog over and over again to the point where some may be quite sick of hearing it………..We need to become a more accepting society!  What better way to achieve this than to bring a valuable exercise to a whole student body.  AND did that student body step up or what?  For 196 people to sign up for this event shows a large percentage of the school accepting a challenge to open their minds and to celebrate difference.  I won’t say too much about what it is actually like maneuvering around JUST for the day in a wheelchair because that may take the fun out of hearing what other’s have to say about it.

I just know from my own experience that I watched as the years went by and I saw with my own eyes and my own hurt soul as people started to treat Sam and Alex differently as their outward physical appearance changed.  They stayed the same on the inside so why would this happen?  I would ask myself the question each night as I lay in bed, preparing for the next day of challenges. I was dedicated to staying strong for them and paving the way if I had to.  It was bad enough dealing with the reality of having a progressive disease.  I still wanted them to become strong, kind and productive people in society.  Really, what any parent wants for their children.

However, over and over I found that their peers disappeared, some teachers treated them differently even State agencies who were set in place to help would become adversarial.  Through it all they stayed “differently the same”.  I love them for what they have become!  They both move forward with grace – ok Alex is a bit more graceful than Sam !  But Sam has that sense of humor that kept her going through it all!  That sense of humor and ability to laugh is what I admire about her.  Alex has had to fight for so much and as quiet and insightful as she is she is making it all work.

So THANK you to Open Your Heart!  You are working like bees to raise money (with TONS of help from the community) to make the living environment so wonderful for us but what you are teaching in this event will help so many others in this world.  You will be empowering any person “of difference” and enlightening so many young people along the way.  You are helping me keep up the momentum to make this world a better place.  For that I will always be grateful.

And………THANK YOU to all who have signed up for  Open Your Hearts – See How We Roll!  I hope you are able to look inward and access life from  a different perspective.  You are on your way to becoming a more open minded and compassionate human being.  What a great step for mankind, a life lesson that you will always remember!

Can’t wait to see you all on Friday!

In Peace and Love

Always

Meir