Applause

Have you ever felt God smile? We hear a lot of negative. I want to mention something I saw that was very right. My work took me to a place full of hope.

Pine Castle, an Adult Day Program for persons with developmental disabilities, is located in Jacksonville, Florida. My consultant work takes me there and places like it several hours each week. I visited one day in late April, thinking it would be business as usual. I expected to go in, take care of my work, and then move on to the next location. Excitement buzzed as people gathered in the gymnasium. Shortly afterward, a special program was in progress.

The staff of Pine Castle put on a talent show for the clients. There were big wigs, sparkly dresses, synchronized dancing, printed programs, loud music, hand-made stage props, and more. While the lip-sink may have been buzzed off a major cable show, it certainly brought applause from the audience.

I saw hard working adults taking care of other adults. They did more than just encourage a few giggles. They did more than basic supervision. They did more than provide meals, safety, and help with basic personal care. What they did was to give laughter, very loud, bellyaching laughter. I saw the ideal at work: persons with disabilities really being treated like persons, instead of “those poor people.” Caregivers and the cared for enjoyed a couple of hours together as peers.

I am impressed not just by the one assembly on this one day – but by the ongoing commitment to take care of other people. I see it at places such as Pine Castle, New Heights, and the Association Retarded Citizens. There are many group homes, bus-drivers, and other caregivers who are trudging one. They are trying to stick-it-out through recent turmoil in our state that affects the bottom line. Florida is facing serious budget problems. Companies that care for the disabled barely have enough money to pay wages, keep the lights on, and put gas in transportation vehicles. Budget s go down, gas prices go up, and so forth. Increasing regulations ensure more paperwork, but not necessarily that the job is done better. We often hear about these problems in our media.

On this day, for this hour, something was very right.