November 29, 2015
Random Acts… Angels live among us
When my nephew Mark was born, most friends would look delighted at the news. Then, when they learned that he had Down Syndrome, the first words they’d utter would be, “I’m sorry.”
After it happened two or three times, I started getting angry. I knew that people were trying to express sympathy for a child who would face many challenges in life, but they had no idea of the joy that lives in his heart.
As a toddler, Mark would stand and hold onto the side of the sofa, swaying to the beat of whatever music he heard. Before he could utter a word, he was dancing.
Every holiday season, this is the child who reminds me that angels live among us. Down Syndrome can cause speech difficulties, and we can see Mark’s frustration when he’s trying to communicate and can’t get his point across to us. Many people just give up trying to understand others when there’s a communication gap.
But Mark rarely gives up. He keeps talking and talking, and usually finds a way to let us know what he’s thinking. When we just don’t get it, he just sighs and moves on to something else, forgiving those of us with “normal” speech for being too dumb to understand.
You see, Mark is one of the smartest people I know. At 11 years old, he understands sign language, English, Chinese, and a little Spanish. He loves music, and while he’s totally tone deaf, he sings everything with gusto. A couple of years ago, while sitting in a restaurant, he heard Idina Menzel singing “Let It Go,” one of his favorite tunes from the movie “Frozen.”
Without missing a beat, he stood up on the bench seat and starting belting out, “Let it go! Let it go! … Here I stand, in the light of day. Let the storm rage on. The cold never bothered me anyway!”
Everyone in the restaurant turned to watch, with a smile on every face. Living life with unbridled joy is something Mark teaches every day.
There is so much to admire in my nephew. He’s the kid who wears compassion on his sleeve, wanting to help Grandma put on her socks to stay warm. His sense of humor is constant, telling anyone who asks his age that “I’m 15.” When I asked why he wanted to be 15, he said, “So I can sit in the front seat in the car.”
That’s not to say that challenges don’t exist. When his cousins were younger, they didn’t know what to make of Mark, so would ignore him until an adult urged them to include him in their play. I could see the hurt on Mark’s face, and I hurt inside, too.
Over time, his cousins learned to accept Mark for who he is. Now they play and watch TV together without hesitation.
As he grows older, I know there will be others who don’t take the time to get to know Mark, and it will be their loss.
Angels have a lot to teach us, but only if we recognize them.
Dinah Eng 