He Was My First Encounter In Befriending A Mentally Retarded Individual. He Was 14 Years Older Than I Was But In Reality A Person I Could Relate To.
I First Met Bob When I Was Introduced To Him By A Neighbor Friend. I Knew He Was On A Different Intellect Level Than I Was But I Have Always Been A Social Person. A Trait I Inherited From My Father. Capable To Communicate With Others At All Levels. I Suppose I Was About Ten Years Old When I First Met Bob. That Would Make Him 24. Most Men At That Age Were Married Or Out On Their Own. Bob Lived With His Mom And Dad. I Remember His Father Had Passed Away Around The Time We First Met.
Today's Terminology For Bob's Condition Is Called Downs Syndrome. He Was A Gentle Soul That I Will Remember For As Long As I Live. He May Not Have Understood Me On The Same Level Of Knowledge Yet He Over Shadowed Me On Kindness And Happiness. Because Of Him I Learned That Even The Seriousness Of A Situation Didn't Necessarily Have To Be Looked Upon As A Blockade. Because Of Him I Learned There Will Always Be Obstacles In Our Lifetime.
How You Handle Them However Shows Your True Character. I Would Like To Say People Like Bob Parks Are Responsible For Molding Me Into The Person That I Am Today. As I Watched Others Make Fun Of Him It Showed Me Their True Character. I Would Like To Say I Am A Better Person Because Of How My Life Crossed His. The Lesson I Learned In Knowing Bob Parks Is That We Are All God's Creation. He Molded Us In His Own Way For A Reason. Whatever That Reason Was I Believe Was To Show All Of Our True Tolerance. There Is No Doubt In My Mind Because Of Bob, I Know Love, Compassion, Caring And Patience.
May He Rest In Peace...
I do not like the term RETARDED. I prefer the term Special Needs, or Angels, and he was my Cousin. Not yours'
ReplyDeleteThis comment was left by Laurie Downing. I am sorry for your loss. I used the phrase Mentally Retarded because this was the terminology used when I knew Bob. If your read this Blog in it's entirety you will see that I used today's term as a person with Downs Syndrome. I started this Blog in knowing Bob back in the day when mentally challenged persons were called all sorts of names. Some not so nice. Whether he was a relative or a friend he is now in God's loving arms in heaven. Thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteYes Greg, I knew you were writing in the past tense of the way people used to refer to those who are/were mentally challenged. When I was working at Trolley, we learned that the R word was no longer acceptable, and knowing you the way I do, that you are a caring and loving person, especially when it comes to those in need.
ReplyDeleteLaurie, I do understand why you take exception to that R word. Thanks for standing up for the special group of people.