A Tough Nut To Crack

I serve as an advocate for people with developmental disabilities. One of the biggest frustrations I face is when someone I am working with shows a fair amount of potential to really make some progress in developing additional independence in their lives. However, for some reason, those working with that person cannot figure out how to bring out that potential.

Perhaps the biggest frustration that I have is not working with people with disabilities, but working with other advocates. I am currently working on a project with a person that has many brilliant ideas. However, this person is also very control-hungry and often "bails out" on projects when things do not go exactly as they want them to. Thus, many people don't even bother working with this person. As a result, much of this person's brilliance does not see the light of day.

Here is the analogy: Brazil nuts. Brazil nuts are incredibly tasty. However, their shells are very difficult to crack. When you do crack one, the entire nut often explodes. So, when people have a hankering for nuts, they will search out peanuts, almonds, cashews - even though Brazil nuts might taste better.

How many Brazil nuts are in our life? Do we include ourselves in this category?

Quotability

While reading the National Catholic Reporter a couple of weeks ago (yes, the "liberal" Catholic rag as opposed to the National Catholic Register, the "conservative" Catholic rag that I also read), I came across the following in Sr. Rita Larivee's article: "If the past has nothing to say, then surely we are lost. And if the present has nothing to offer, then surely we have no hope." She offered this remarkable expression while describing the tension between Catholics that favor the current Mass of Paul VI and Catholics that favor the Latin Tridentine Mass. The expression very aptly describes so many other situations. I read a ton of books and magazines. I rarely come across something that really strikes me. I have already memorized Sr. Rita's expression.

Trail Blazers

It hasn't been an easy winter for those of us living in the midwestern part of the nation. The region where I live usually has about 55" of snow each season. This year, with over a month remaining, we have had about 83" of snow - a record.

Snow creates many problems. The roads are terrible. Floods usually occur when the snow melts. One of the biggest snow-related problems I face is finding a place to walk our dog. He is a small to medium-sized dog. His shoulders might be about 18" of the ground. Any snow over about 6" presents problems for him.

We live directly across the street from a large park. Many wild animals, including deer, live in the park. Earlier this winter, my dog and I were usually the trail blazers. After a heavy snow, he and I would trudge through the park and make an initial path. Quite often, the deer would then follow in the path we made. During the most recent heavy snows, things were reversed. The deer were the trail blazers. If we had several inches of snow duirng the night, the dog and I would usually find a nice path waiting for us in the morning. Interestingly enough, the path would be along our usual route - not a route usually followed by the deer. It was as if they went out of their way to blaze a path for us.

By Jove, She's Got It!

I subscribe to the full gamut of Catholic periodicals that range from "ultra-conservative" to "ultra-liberal". I was reading a weekly newspaper that most would consider to be "ultra-conservative". I was so pleased to see an article about a woman that has developed a regional "Walk for Life" event. When I fist saw the headline, I figured this was an event to raise funds for the typical pro-life causes - overturning Roe v. Wade, abstinence education, etc. However, this woman raises funds to help unwed mothers that have already given birth. The funds are used for baby items and other necessities, as well as programs to help these women be effective mothers. In her own words, the woman said, "If the pro-life activists would commit a fraction of the energy they spend on marches and rallys to provide resources to unwed mothers, the entire pro-life movement would be much farther ahead than it is."

I could not have said it better.

Terrorists

A couple of weeks ago, there were two "suicide" bombings in Iraq. The timing of both bombings were close to each other and killed over 100 people between the two attacks. These were the worst attacks in six months.

Investigators learned that the two "suicide" bombers were both women with developmental disabilities. The bombs were strapped to their bodies and detonated when they were near large groups of people. Obviously, the two women did not have the ability to understand what was happening to them.

I am an advocate for people with developmental disabilities. I serve as guardian for 12 people with developmental disabilities. During the past two weeks, several people asked for my feelings on what happened in Iraq. I think they assumed I would be shocked and outraged. I certainly was not shocked. Terrorists will do anything they feel may help them attain their misguided goals. In Iraq, as in the United States, people with developmental disabilities are seen as non-humans. Many people in both countries see no reason to provide resources to help people with developmental disabilities reach their full potential as community members. The only difference between the terrorists in Iraq and us in the U.S. is that we are not strapping bombs to people with developmental disabilities and sending them into a crowd of innocent people.

Certainly, I was outraged by what happened in Iraq. I am also outraged by the neglect and abuse suffered by people with developmental disabilities and their families every day in the United States.

Patriotic Doodie

David slew Goliath. Good beat evil. The Giants beat the Patriots.

In my life, I have watched well over one thousand NFL games - including over 200 games in person. Other than the outcome of games involving my beloved Packers, I have never been so excited about a victory as I was on Sunday. More accurately, I was never more excited about a loss.

The Patriots were arrogant. The coach cheated on his wife and secretly taped the practices of opponents. One of the "stars" of the Patriots is Randy Moss, a player well-known for obscene gestures on the field and trying to run over parking enforcement officers ticketing his car. The Boston Herald printed copies of a book called "19 - 0: The Perfect Season" prior to the Super Bowl.

I have never once prayed to God to influence the score of a sporting event. However, I think even God had a smirk on His face when the final gun sounded and the score of the Super Bowl was the Giants 17 and the Patriots 14.

Females in The Vatican

Last week, a young woman set a historical precedent in the Vatican. People familiar with St. Peter's Square know that the Pope speaks from his apartment window at around noon on Sundays and at a few other occasions. People might recall scenes where the Pope appeared at his apartment window with a boy and a girl. They released white doves to celebrate Catholic Action Month. (Some may recall a few years ago when one of the doves did not want to leave the Papal apartment.) Well, on January 27, the Pope appeared at his apartment window with a young girl. After the remarks of His Holiness, the young girl presented a speach related to Catholic Action. What's the big deal? This marks the first time in history that a female has spoken from the podium at the window of the Pope's apartment.

Now, it is highly unlikely that His Holiness is going to hop on a boat and ordain several priests that are female. However, this event may be a sign that the Vatican's stance on providing more leadership and service opportunities to females might be shifting - albeit ever so slightly.