AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)
My great-grandmother was born in 1893 and witnessed many 20th-century inventions, from the automobile to the television. She also saw social attitudes change toward groups like children, women and minorities.
I remember thinking how much of the world transformed in front of her.
Frankly, I sometimes wondered if that’s what made her so crabby. She never did like change.
Now that I’ve reached a certain age, I look back in amazement at what I’ve seen and experienced. I watched the moon landing 46 years ago, and saw the Civil Rights Movement eliminate segregation. Computers were invented. They started as giant boxes, then gradually shrank, although their data capacity increased.
And how did I ever function without a cellphone?
I was thinking about this last Monday, as I stood in the Placentia Civic Center and watched runners carry in the torch for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. Placentia was one of the Orange County stops for the torch, and we put on quite a show to welcome them.
We had musical entertainment by the Alley Cats, dance performances from the students at the Art of Dance and Ballet Academy and speeches by Councilman Jeremy Yamaguchi, ambassadors from the Special Olympics and of course, our own Police Chief Ward Smith.
When I was young, my parents’ friends had a baby with Down syndrome. My mother told me that meant that although her body would grow, her mind would never learn more than a toddler could, and that she would probably only live to be 18.
My, how times have changed.
Jazmine Slama, the Special Olympic Athlete ambassador, proved my mother’s descriptions wrong. She spoke from the heart about being a Native American who was told she could do what she liked best, which was run. She has won gold medals at previous Special Olympics, but even if she hadn’t, she is a wonderful spokesperson for the organization.
These days, we know more about people with special needs, and how to accommodate them. Just like my great-grandmother’s day, our social attitudes have shifted. We understand more and accept everyone’s differences.
It made me feel honored to be part of Placentia on Monday and see these young athletes, so happy and proud to be representing their country. I wish them luck and joy at the games. As their oath says, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Bravo.
One of the characters in my mystery series has Asperger’s syndrome. It took me one novel to realize it, and two more before I wrote those words into the story. Not long after its publication, I was having a discussion with Marcus.
“We treat people with special needs like they’re not normal, but they’re just like you and me,” he said. “Maybe they process stuff differently, but we all want to be loved and respected and useful. I’m so proud of you, Mom, that you put an Asperger’s person in your stories.”
I’ve spent my motherhood being proud of my son, never expecting him to be proud of me. Perhaps this is one more cultural shift I need to accept. Whether it’s a societal adjustment or a new electronic toy, I promise to take it in stride.
Longtime Placentia resident Gayle Carline tracks those moments that shape her days as a wife, mom, computer wiz and horsewoman. E-mail her at [email protected]
SOURCE: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/special-673576-placentia-proud.html
My great-grandmother was born in 1893 and witnessed many 20th-century inventions, from the automobile to the television. She also saw social attitudes change toward groups like children, women and minorities.
I remember thinking how much of the world transformed in front of her.
Frankly, I sometimes wondered if that’s what made her so crabby. She never did like change.
Now that I’ve reached a certain age, I look back in amazement at what I’ve seen and experienced. I watched the moon landing 46 years ago, and saw the Civil Rights Movement eliminate segregation. Computers were invented. They started as giant boxes, then gradually shrank, although their data capacity increased.
And how did I ever function without a cellphone?
I was thinking about this last Monday, as I stood in the Placentia Civic Center and watched runners carry in the torch for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. Placentia was one of the Orange County stops for the torch, and we put on quite a show to welcome them.
We had musical entertainment by the Alley Cats, dance performances from the students at the Art of Dance and Ballet Academy and speeches by Councilman Jeremy Yamaguchi, ambassadors from the Special Olympics and of course, our own Police Chief Ward Smith.
When I was young, my parents’ friends had a baby with Down syndrome. My mother told me that meant that although her body would grow, her mind would never learn more than a toddler could, and that she would probably only live to be 18.
My, how times have changed.
Jazmine Slama, the Special Olympic Athlete ambassador, proved my mother’s descriptions wrong. She spoke from the heart about being a Native American who was told she could do what she liked best, which was run. She has won gold medals at previous Special Olympics, but even if she hadn’t, she is a wonderful spokesperson for the organization.
These days, we know more about people with special needs, and how to accommodate them. Just like my great-grandmother’s day, our social attitudes have shifted. We understand more and accept everyone’s differences.
It made me feel honored to be part of Placentia on Monday and see these young athletes, so happy and proud to be representing their country. I wish them luck and joy at the games. As their oath says, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Bravo.
One of the characters in my mystery series has Asperger’s syndrome. It took me one novel to realize it, and two more before I wrote those words into the story. Not long after its publication, I was having a discussion with Marcus.
“We treat people with special needs like they’re not normal, but they’re just like you and me,” he said. “Maybe they process stuff differently, but we all want to be loved and respected and useful. I’m so proud of you, Mom, that you put an Asperger’s person in your stories.”
I’ve spent my motherhood being proud of my son, never expecting him to be proud of me. Perhaps this is one more cultural shift I need to accept. Whether it’s a societal adjustment or a new electronic toy, I promise to take it in stride.
Longtime Placentia resident Gayle Carline tracks those moments that shape her days as a wife, mom, computer wiz and horsewoman. E-mail her at [email protected]
SOURCE: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/special-673576-placentia-proud.html
