Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month: Day 7: Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

320 words

3 minute read

(Missed Day 7 yesterday so here it is)

With spring being (hopefully) just around the corner, and having enjoyed the first 40 degree day of the year yesterday...  Well, for some reason that makes me nostalgic about living in the Midwest and snow and making snowmen.

Getting through the snow with CP was always a bit of a challenge, but I loved getting out in it nonetheless.  So, one morning when Tara and I were six years old, and living with our great grandparents, our great grandpa told us, "I have a surprise for you!  Come outside!"  So I took my walker carefully down the front stoop and into the yard.

I looked around.  So did Tara.

Nothing was there.

"Where is it?" we asked.  "Where's the surprise?"

"Look on the table there," Grandpa suggested.

Myself (left) and Tara (right) with a tiny snowman between us on the picnic table.

Our faces say it all: my disappointed, forced smile, and Tara, in the middle of saying an offended, "Hey!"  A barely noticeable snowman was not our idea of a surprise.

Looking back, though, it is one of my most favorite memories, and I get a kick out of the mental image of my great grandpa going outside to build this snowman and find rocks and sticks and a leaf to make him just right.  There's barely any snow on the ground, so he must have had to really look to find enough to make those two little snowballs.  I love the idea that he thought of us.  That he did something this sweet for us, and took our picture so we'd remember the moment.

Have you surprised a disabled kid in your life lately?  Or if you are disabled, have you been on the receiving end of a nice surprise like this?  Tell me about it in the comments.

***

Don't forget to connect on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram