Sunshine

My son and I were sitting in a clinic room in a large health care facility, when the sun ducked under the clouds, dimming the room where we waited to see his doctor. Waiting for medical appointments is one of our specialties.  I am always finding ways to keep him occupied while we wait. Finally the door opened and the Doctor walked in. As she entered, she glanced at the window and said “Where did the sunshine go?” Without missing a beat, H said “I’m right here!”. 

 

Even though some days can be difficult, H has a way of bringing sunshine to everyday life. Although medical appointments can bring too much wait time and unpleasant lab tests, H loves greeting the people he meets throughout the appointment as though he is a special guest, doing his best parade wave to all of the staff checking in patients as he heads back to the exam room, his bright smile sending warm rays. I did sing “You are My Sunshine” to H as a baby, maybe that fueled his desire to bring happiness but I think it is more likely his gift. And, his timing is impeccable. When H was in fourth grade, we had the opportunity to hear his teacher reflect and actually start to tear-up a bit when describing H’s role in brightening a particularly challenging day. The class behavior that day was frustrating even to this veteran teacher. As the class session ended, H walked over to his teacher with a big smile, grabbed his hand, looked up at him and said with excitement, “let’s go to Music” and off they went with H holding his teachers hand and marching with excitement to music class, the rest of his peers following behind.  

 

Often we look at disability first. Adding sunshine on a rainy day is an ability, a gift offered to anyone ready to receive it. H can beam from simple things we often take for granted such as greeting a dog, being offered a favorite snack or singing a favorite song and he knows when others can use a shot of sunshine. H often will joke with someone who is having a tough day. He will smile at everyone, even those who don’t smile back. He enjoys telling stories that make people laugh. Those stories can get repetitive but his intent is good, his heart seeking to lift someone’s spirit.  H's gift of bringing sunshine is not in spite of his disability - it defines him.

 

Who will you bring sunshine to today?