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He Taught Us To
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I proudly watched my son Russ - - with his boyish grin -- leave his seat
to speak in front of nearly 200 people, a tear bursting with joy and
triumph trickled softly down my cheek.
Here was a lovable kid who had nearly every communications disability -- dyslexia, auditory problems, speech impediment, mixed dominance, large motor problems and even two left feet to boot. But today he's walking confidently, standing tall to make an acceptance speech for being chosen one of the "Outstanding Young Citizens" in Ocean County, New Jersey for all of his volunteer service in the tight-knit town of Toms River. As I listened, I closed my eyes and soon heard his voice as a youth saying, "You know what I mean," when he couldn't pronounce a word. Oh how he struggled so valiantly to learn what those words mean and how they bond us all. I closed my eyes tighter, remembering at 10, a cheerful fourth-grader, telling me how he had to make a speech about a school project and his heart beat "really fast." I recalled when I was doing Meals on Wheels and I'd run in and make the delivery while my volunteer partner stayed with him in the car or when I directed a children's chorus and he'd be right there tugging on my leg. My mind was a blur of warm images of Russ as a loving, caring youth, a gentle soul, accepting his challenges and now knowing how his heart must be racing up at the podium. As Russ continued his speech, I thought about the fateful day he was diagnosed with all these impairments and how proud his tutors would be if they could see and hear him speak today. Here he was at 29, being honored for his 10 years of service as a volunteer fireman; for organizing a clothing drive for the homeless; for teaching preschool children about fire safety and for playing a sensitive Santa Claus for terminally ill children by showing up in a fire truck. At the end of his speech, Russ thanked his parents for giving him a good life; for instilling him with self-esteem and for teaching him about morals and integrity. Then, he paused, and surprised us as he lovingly touched on the loss of his nephew, Austin Lee Hanning. My grandson, Austin was three years old when he died from a very rare and incurable disease. At that
moment, I had to close my eyes again because a different set of tears
would come bursting down and I wanted to hold them back. As a hush fell
over the room, I was in awe as I saw my son come full circle in life, from dreading the thought of even learning or saying words to holding an audience spellbound by his speech. What made that occasion even more special is that Russ, who never was the star of the football team and who was never voted "most likely," had now risen to be a true "star" in his community. He became a man of such strong character by becoming a dedicated volunteer in service to others, not by becoming a 4.0 student; not by being on the football team and certainly not by winning "most likely." Perceptually impaired? Russ sees and acts clearly with his heart. Speech impedi- ment? I hear not. It is because his words and deeds inspire everyone who knows him and works beside him to understand that it is now Russ who "has taught us all how to love." This time, it was his mother's heart that was beating "really fast."
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