I am struggling with showing grace and forgiveness. Brady has been hurt by so many, many who attended Oly's rally today. I feel angry. Love? Acceptance? I'll be interested to hear how my son was treated today, by some of those very kids. My guess is that "diversity" and "acceptance" doesn't transfer to the kid that "high-fives" everyone so annoyingly everyday, or rudely interrupts conversations everyday because he just wants to be your friend and doesn't understand how. Brady has Autism, it is labeled a disability for a reason. His brain does not process things in the same way. This causes him to have an extremely difficult time with communicating and relationships. What does process things the same way is his heart. "Turning your back" on Brady and others like him is not showing "love" and "acceptance." Mocking his naiveness for your personal entertainment does not go unfelt. Don't be fooled by Brady's beautiful smile. He puts that on everyday because he says, "people don't like negative people, you told me that, mom, I pretend to be happy so that people will like me." Brady wishes he was dead. That smiling boy you turn your back on everyday, wishes he was dead. "No one is mean in heaven, mom." Please, Oly students, remember how much power you each have in your words and actions. How many Brady's do you turn your backs on everyday? Live up to what you presented yourselves to be today. And if you find this to be uncomfortable to read and embarrassing to your school, you just experienced a very small dose of what my son and many other kids experience everyday.
My proposal and response:
Hey Olympia High School, Olympia School District, students and faculty and surrounding areas...OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING and we have a 'DARE TO BE GREAT MOMENT.' My sweet friend Lisa...(awesome mom of Brady mentioned above in her post from Facebook - the rally she speaks about is a counter rally against the Westboro Church who made their way to Olympia because WA State is about to say YES to gay marriage). Lisa, I felt the way Brady felt last week. I actually said it out loud. I thought for a second in my despair that I would be better off dead because no one cares anyway...this is a very very scary place to be as I don't consider myself to be negative or depressed, but this is how the lack of care for our family has effected me deep within my soul and psyche. It hurts to be excluded and ignored...IT IS A FORM OF PASSIVE VIOLENCE that causes violence within societies, governments, and families. I sometimes feel very frustrated with my son, justin, who cannot help that he is autistic and I feel abandoned by society, public schools especially. My daughter, who also has autism, but is more verbal like Brady, is often a victim of passive violence as she is ignored or teased...even by teachers. Next year both she and hopefully my son, whom we have had a tough time getting any open acceptance in public school setting for, will be joining you from Massachusetts and I would like for us to engage in some actions that will create inclusion, love and peace rather than pain. Please read this and join us. PASSIVE VIOLENCE IS PAINFUL AND UGLY, TRUST ME. WE HAVE ENDURED FAR TOO MUCH OF IT AND IT IS DESTROYING FAMILIES EVERYWHERE, FROM THE INSIDE OUT! I would like to start a Guru V People Victory over Violence project. Will you help?
http://wpb.stanford.edu/oldsites/vovexhibit.html