By Hallidae Thomason
I loved being a child. I loved the magic and the wonder that came with being a kid. I loved the endless hours spent playing with my brothers, sisters and neighbors in the heat of the summer. There is nothing better than playing outside until the sun is setting and your mother calls you inside for bed. Oh, if all children could know how simple their lives are during childhood and could capture their wonder and innocence and save it for a lifetime. One of my most vivid memories of childhood is my little toy dwarf.
I know, it sounds a little weird to have a toy dwarf as a child, but I did. Truthfully, I am not sure where the toy dwarf came from or why I was so keenly interested in it as a child. It looked like most other stuffed toys and animals that I used to play with, but for some reason it stuck out among the rest. I think my interest in special needs people honestly started when I had the toy dwarf as a child. I was full of questions about why it didn't look quite 'right' and about why it was so tiny. My mother would answer questions about my dwarf as seriously as I would ask them. I'm still appreciative to her for that.
My toy dwarf taught me to appreciate those who were different from me at an early age. In elementary school I met Benny, a boy who was in a wheelchair because of a bad car accident he had been in with his parents. I was the first to befriend Benny, partially because I thought his wheelchair looked cool and I wanted to learn about it, and partially because all the other kids were laughing at him. I knew instantly that Benny needed a friend. We started eating lunch together and I started wheeling him outside for recess each day. Benny was quite smart and I don't think many of the other kids took the time to realize this about him.
My mom shared with me not too long ago that she really believes that my toy dwarf is what set me in the direction of befriending and later educating people with physical, mental or emotional handicaps. There is something about helping people that I just cannot get enough of. It fuels me like nothing else does. I had no idea that my favorite stuffed dwarf would play such a huge role in setting the course of my life. This is why I love to see children explore and wonder and dream about their lives.
About the Author: Hallidae Thomason is a special education teacher in her hometown. It was her toy dwarf that set the stage for her passions and values in life. See www.alldwarf.info for more.
Source: www.isnare.com
