One of the most important aspects of my life is to begin each day with a grateful heart. I believe this philosophy to be true because I am grateful for the trivial things, as well as the crucial things in life. I work with special needs students every day both at work and in my personal life. Because of this I am grateful that my six children and I do not face the challenges that special needs children and their families do. However, because of my experiences, I do understand much of what those families face. My friend, Andrea, has a daughter with special needs.
I know I see only a small portion of the challenges they face on a daily basis. I worked with her daughter as a one-on-one paraeducator for two years before taking a job in preschool. She and her family helped me find a deep passion within me. I am grateful to have been a part of her life for five years now. I hope I can continue to be in her life for many years to come. Parents of children without special needs don’t even realize all the minute things they enjoy with their children, which a special needs child may never be able to do. Some of these children will never walk or talk.
Andrea’s daughter will never walk down the aisle, and likely will never tell her parents how much she loves them. There are so many everyday things that we take for granted and innocently sweep under the rug. In my daily job, I have chosen to work with children with special needs. I am thankful that I am able to help these students learn and grow in their everyday lives. It is a challenging job; some days are easy and go great; while other days, not so much. Children with special needs often have to work harder to learn skills such as school work and taking care of themselves.
Tasks that often come natural to children without special needs can be a huge undertaking for others. It takes the right person to work with special needs children. Patience, persistence and a lot of energy are just a few of the skills needed. Knowing that the parents of these children truly appreciate the short break their child’s time at school provides them is absolutely satisfying and gives me a sense of value in what I do at work every day. I am not defined by what happens to me in my life. I have struggles to overcome and with each struggle I have a choice.
I choose to let it break me or I choose to let it make me. These challenges in life are all steps to making me a better person. Through these obstacles we learn more about ourselves and grow in our own personal beliefs. When I consider the struggles I’ve been through, I realize all I have to be grateful for. If you look around there is always something to be thankful for: a roof over your head, food on the table, close family and friends to share important things with are just a few. Each of these is truly a gift. Your attitude can determine how grateful you are.
We need to appreciate what we can so easily take for granted. Always remember you get what you give. Being positive and appreciative for the good things in life will, in turn, make people treat you with the same respect. I hope that from what I have written, people will look at life a little differently. I want others to understand why I am so passionate about being grateful in my life. If people could see life from both sides, maybe they would be more grateful in their day to day lives. Always remember to begin each day with a grateful heart. You will be surprised at how good it makes you and others around you feel.
