Catching Up...

I've been slacking a little on this whole 30 Days of Thankfulness thing. Going back to day 21...I wanted to talk about my thankfulness for my cousin Luc, and how he has shaped my perspective on the humanity and dignity of people with disabilities. Of course, I am thankful for all my extended family members, and I am wary of the dehumanizing aspect of limiting a person to their disability instead of recognizing their individuality. But there are certain specific things about Luc that I am thankful for.

Luc has Williams Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder that is like Downs Syndrome in terms of the resulting mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities and physical symptoms, but much rarer and less well-known. With the challenges of Williams Syndrome are...some traits that still pose a challenge but also bring unique positives. For instance, people with Williams Syndrome tend to be exceptionally social, trusting, and empathetic. The trust can sometimes lead to a lack of appropriate boundaries, but there is something about the open way of relating to other people, without hangups or pretense, that I admire.

And Luc reminds me to look beyond labels, and for that I am thankful.

Moving on...good weekend; good times with good people. For day 22, I'm thankful that a friend had an extra ticket to the Washington Caps game. Not so thankful they lost (2-3), but it was a fun game.

From the really high seats at Verizon Center...

For Day 23, thankful for seeing Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Movie reviews are Ken's thing,  but I'll just say the movie was really good, better than the first movie and possibly better than even the book upon which it was based.

And for Day 24, I am thankful that I have shelter and heat in this wicked cold (cue New England accent) weather.