I believe this picture captures it all so well, “I am more than you see”. I am going to share with you a personal story of my cousin who is, “ More than you see”, his name is Gord but I have grown up to know him as Gordie my amazing and loving cousin, who never has a bad day.
I try and take my cousin Gordie (who is 40) at least once a month but his social calendar is busier than mine some months. On this particular occasion a few months back Gordie, myself and his mom (my aunt) went to one of Gordie’s favourite restaurants for dinner. On this particular night, it was fun as usual but on this night something would change in me forever an encounter with a friend of his. On our way out Gordie saw a friend of his (around the same age) with his parents and they exchanged pleasantries and Gordie introduced me to his friend (special needs) I extended my hand to shake and he grabbed me and gave me the biggest hug. I learned a big lesson that day, we need less judgement and more hugs.
My family has been blessed by a wonderful lady (Elyse) who has in all intense and purposes have become a member of my aunts and cousins life. From everything from taking my cousin out on different outings, to inviting them to her wedding last year and being there in a time of need when my aunt lost her husband. I have had the pleasure of meeting Elyse once as my cousin Gordie introduced me to her at his father’s funeral and since then we have become friends on facebook and I reached out to Elyse when I was writing this article to help me understand what she does and how she through the company she works for helps support so many special people in our community. Elyse is part of an agency that supports people of all ages and skill levels (from people who require full care to people who live out in the community independently). One of the comments that sticks out the most is she said she enjoys coming to work where nobody judges each other and everybody is full of love and support. There is not a day that goes by that Elyse and other members of the agency receive several hugs a day. Elyse has told me to stop by one day and you will be greeted by several hugs and hellos and by people who really want to know about your day. Another comment that stood out was people have worked there from 10-40 years, which is pretty amazing.
Just because someone acts different, looks different, we are all the same, we just want to be accepted for who we are. I challenge everybody to say hi to who is, “More than what you see” and watch their faces light up.
Look for my article next month on “Changing Jobs”
Gerald Carroll
Be Great! Be Safe!
