A Girl

A girl last night caught me by surprise when I presented her with a $2 coin in change. Thinking it was a handshake offer, she spontaneously grasped my fingers and gently shook them. A perfectly natural reaction from a special girl.

She had boarded in the early evening with an elderly woman, at a Greek Orthodox church in Gladesville. They had attended a Good Friday service. The woman was well into her sixties and shepherded the girl into the back seat, both earnestly talking in Greek.

Being dark I didn’t look at the girl, just subconsciously sensed she was a young adult. Yet it quickly became clear from their interaction that she had a mental age of around four, with the woman patiently responding in the loving tone of a grandmother.

A few words in English could be identified - chicken, chips, McDowls’ - indicating she was pressing the elderly woman about dinner. Though persistent, she wasn’t whining or demanding, just respectfully conveying her hunger and wondering what could she eat.

Presently the woman addressed me, "We’ve been fasting...for Greek Easter," then apologised for the girl’s unflagging requests. "My daughter wants meat for dinner but we don’t eat meat on Good Friday." "I’m good girl", the girl shyly added. "I’m good girl."

We arrived at a older style unit block. The mother handed me a tenner and a disability voucher, before quickly alighting to assist the girl. Then came the girl’s unexpected handshake. Before departing I paused to watch her cross the road with a distinctive gait resembling Downs syndrome, her mother following on a walking stick. God bless ‘em.

Further reading - NSW MP’s John Watkins and John Hatzistergos have spoken in parliament of the inspirational work being done by the above church in assisting young adults with physical and intellectual disabilities.

Comments

[MikeFitz]

Yep, these special people and their carers do emit sunshine don't they?

As pointed out at the end of John Watkins' speech, it's a sad fact for many that, as they get older, they revert to the language of their birth and become unable to communicate in English.

My wife's step-father is Hungarian and is often called up by a nursing home 30 km away to help communicate with an old chap who has completely lost the ability to speak in English. The telephone interpreter service can only go so far.

Happy Easter, Adrian.

[Kim]

I have heard that people with Down's Syndrome are often much happier individuals than others.

Bless you for your kindness to those you carry around town, Adrian.

[Bruce]

Mike, you have just given me a clue as to why my Trinidad-born wife, who left there 40 years ago and has been in Australia for nearly 25 years, has suddenly starting sounding like Bob Marley after years of an almost-Australian accent. For example 'cake' now sounds more like 'kayak'!

Thanks for that important piece of information.

[CanberraCabbie]

People with Downs Syndrome seem to have sunny spirits. There used to be an opshop here in Canberra that employed them in a back room to sort out the donations. Simple, easy, low-paid work. Every now and then someone would leave the door to the back room open and it was easily the happiest workplace on earth, judging by the sounds coming out.