Each One of Us Must Offer Our Gifts and Limitations

First published in Hamilton Spectator February 2, 2000

Hi Everybody! It is a great honour for me to join the Spectator's Community Editorial Board. I want to thank the editors for their vision in bringing together a large cross section of individuals who represent a wide range of differing ideas. As you will find out by reading my columns over the next few months, communication is vital -- to share ideas, dreams, hopes, needs, wants and other information. Communication is the heartbeat of life. Without this simple capability, our every day experiences would be totally different. We as a society should be thankful to the Spectator for their insight in forming this Editorial Board, and to other public open forums that provide communication opportunities.

As the sunrise dawned on January first, a new millennium appeared. In a real sense, our fingers are just on the door handle, inching it open to the bright future years ahead. We must ask ourselves what kind of a future do we want to create for our kids, our grandkids? I have three nephews and one niece. I pray that they will grow up in a society with caring teachers who will guide and foster them into the channels that they want to take as adults. I also pray that the world in which they will be living and working will be full of diversity and will be one in which they can reach for their own dreams. I want safe parks, clean streets and people who are willing to say hello and give anybody in need a helping hand. I want a society with a value system that honours all persons within the home and in our cities/towns. This starts by sharing information about different issues facing us.

The columns that I will be writing over the next several months will give you a brief picture of the lives and issues of people with many forms of limitations that affect their lives daily. I will especially be addressing the challenges faced by people who have to communicate with an alternative to speech. They yearn simply to be a contributing member of their communities. They want and need to live in a society where all people look beyond the obvious handicap, which is merely skin deep, and really see the person within. We will look at the barriers that can be overwhelming for parents to deal with as they try to map out a future for their children. There are many untold stories!

I hope my columns will not be just words in a section of the newspaper that are here today and gone tomorrow. If I do my job right, I trust that you will be able to reflect upon the issues raised and put my words into some action.

I feel it is important in this first column, to share some of my life with you. As my byline description said, I was born with cerebral palsy. It was fifteen minutes before I got oxygen at birth. I didn't want to come into a cold February day! I wanted to wait until a nice warm spring day, but could hold my breath for only fifteen minutes! Sorry for the bad joke! Anyway, it affected my fine motor movements and left me nonspeaking. As I reflect back upon my childhood, I was blessed beyond measure! I was born into a farm family in Binbrook. My parents and my two older brothers never treated me as a disabled son or brother. I remember asking my brothers for help with things. If they knew that I could do it, they would say, "Do it yourself". No doubt, this gave me the backbone and the feelings of self worth to deal with my limitations as I lived in my community. When I was growing up, I many times questioned why I was born with C.P. Over the last several years the Lord really made it very clear to me. As I live out my journey, I realize that life is just a shadow. Each one of us must offer our gifts and our limitations so we all can learn and benefit from each other. I look forward to presenting the untold stories I have learned about so all of us can be more aware and understanding in our community.