Favorite Snap Shot

With Special Gifts Theatre being over for the season, it is common to think that it would never cross my mind again. The play is over and I have nothing else to worry about associated with SGT, right?

Wrong. I constantly see things that immediately make me think of Special Gifts. There are always certain scenes I witness that make me wish I was back on stage dancing with Billy or asking him about the movie Cars. I am always reminded on what a great impact he has had on my life.

One of these moments occurred today. At school, there was an All School Workshop, where each student attends different sessions about things people are passionate for. One of the sessions I attended focused on self-awareness and looking at the positive things you have in your life.

One of the activities the class did was visualization. We had to close our eyes and picture a moment when you felt really great about yourself. Without hesitation, I thought of a specific Special Gift Theatre story.

Billy and I at the play

At the end of our last show together, as I was saying goodbye to Billy, we gave each other a huge hug. It was a very deep hug; I could tell he was going to miss me. At that very moment, I felt like I had done my job and created an unbreakable bond between the two of us. The best part? As I was pulling away from this great hug, Billy said in a loud and cheerful voice, “See you next year!”

Him saying that meant so much to me. I have a snap shot in my mind of my giant smile. In that very moment, I felt wanted, and more importantly needed. Billy was counting on me returning next year to be his buddy. I knew from that moment alone that this program was more important to me than anything else I had ever done in my life. 

You've Got a Friend in Me

This past weekend was the day of the play, “Grease”. The play itself was great and Billy and I had a great time. He definitely looked like a true t-bird: hair greased, leather jacket, and sunglasses. I was so happy to see his smile stretch from ear to ear throughout the entire show.

Of course, like any play, there were scenes that Billy and I were not in. It just so happened that our break was right before intermission, giving us time enough time to start a movie in between scenes. Two of the twins’ favorite movies are Cars and Toy Story. Toy Story 2 was the movie of choice, favored by more students in the room.

As the menu comes up on the screen, Billy pats the seat next to him, motioning for me to sit there. In the background, the known song from Toy Story, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” is playing.

Billy and I

I looked at Billy and really thought about what I was doing. Over the course of the entire season together, we have grown to be so close. He really does have a special place in my heart that has inspired me to work so hard. One person having so much impact in my life keeps me coming back year after year to this amazing program.

It’s times like these when I realize that Special Gifts Theatre is not about the destination, but the journey to get there. Billy and I do truly hold special places in each other’s hearts. He’s got a friend in me.

You're The One That I Want

Yesterday was sadly the last rehearsal that we had before the big production. Of course, the purpose of this rehearsal was to get through the whole show with as much energy that we would have for the actual performance. Billy always comes to Special Gifts loaded with energy, so I didn’t have much to worry about.

            As a peer mentor, part of my job is to encourage my buddy to sing and dance to all the songs. The staff made it very clear that for this rehearsal they wanted everyone’s voices to be heard loudly.  Billy is really good at dancing, but sometimes forgets to sing while he dances. I always think that part of the problem could be that he doesn’t know the words to some of the songs, until yesterday when I was proven wrong.

            The last scene of the play began where everyone is on stage. Since it is the play "Grease Jr.", the song “You’re the One That I Want” comes on in this scene. For it, the whole cast is quiet in the background while Danny and Sandy sing to each other. When the chorus came on, I was focusing on showing Billy the dance moves when, to my surprise; he started belting out the whole thing! I was so shocked sitting next to his scooter that I couldn’t help but smile and sing along with him. 

            I know with this attitude and energy, Billy will be amazing in the play this weekend. I can only hope he sings and dances like this for the rest of the songs!

Jam Session

     This week was definitely a stressful one at Special Gifts. With only one more rehearsal until the play and having a two hour rehearsal only lead to antsy kids and stress. After some time, most of the kids, including my buddy, became jittery and definitely needed a break from all the chaos.
     It was just my luck that at this time, we had a large gap between scenes that we were offstage. When there is a gap like this, the classroom teachers usually pull out some games and crayons for the kids to play and color with. It just so happened that at the same time Billy had a break, so did lots of other kids in the cast. We all were told to sit in the hallway backstage where we were aloud to let off some energy.
     As I have mentioned in previous posts, Billy and his twin Joe love Justin Bieber and iPhones. With me being only four years older then them, of course I have access to both of those things. Billy asks me every week if I have my iPhone, where it is, and if I have Justin Bieber music on it. Usually I have to tell him yes I have it, but no, I can't play any music right now.

                                           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kffacxfA7G4

     On Tuesday, I gave in. We were sitting in the hallway, and Billy asked me this predictable set of questions. With it being the second to last rehearsal, I figured it could be fun to play some Justin Bieber music.
     The second the song "Baby" came on, both Billy and Joe immediately began singing all of the words and dancing. I have never had so much fun in my life. Their smiles were so wide and sang all of the words in sync with the song. I couldn't have done anything else to make them this happy. Arms waving around and bouncing, the boys were having the times of their lives. This kind of happiness has kept me doing Special Gifts for so long and makes it all worth it.

Patience

              I have learned from being a part of Special Gifts for so long that some things require patience. Of course, this rule of waiting does not apply to the Special Gifts community exclusively. There are many times during the day when one might need to be patient. One of these instances happened with Billy and I last Tuesday.  

            As I have mentioned earlier, Billy can be hard to understand sometimes. For the most part, I can figure out what he is trying to say, but there are times when I  have no idea what he is saying. While we had some down time, Billy and I were talking about our families. He told me about his brothers, Max and Joe, but when he tried telling me about his sister, I could not figure out her name.  

            The unique thing about Billy is his determination. He knew that I could not understand him and kept on trying to communicate her name to me. During this time we both had patience, as I as attempting to figure out her name and he was trying to be articulate.  

            Eventually, Billy started spelling out her name. At first I couldn't guess, but then I guessed it. Carly. When I concentrated on the letters Billy was saying, his pronunciation became clearer.  In this situation, patience was the key to communication.

A Late Hello

Last Tuesday was a very stressful day. With finals being next week, I had to schedule a math tutor. Of course, the only time she could squeeze me in was right at three, when school ends. Special Gifts starts at 4:15. My tutoring was not over until four, giving me fifteen minutes to drive a thirty-minute commute. I knew I would be late.

Finals are a very stressful time. I have to study every day the week before. Having Special Gifts would definitely change my stressed attitude. I was looking forward to going all day.

I arrived to Special Gifts at 4:30, fifteen minutes late. Out of breath, I entered the building and was told Billy was on stage. I walked in and saw him paired with a different mentor who was substituting for me while I was absent. I could tell by the look on Billy’s face that he was confused as to why I wasn’t there.

http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_images_n300/late_for_work.jpg

I climbed up the stairs to the stage and tapped Billy on the shoulder. His contagious smile immediately lit up as he said, “Hi Maddie!”.  I could instantly see how much Billy’s attitude had changed. He could not help but to smile and keep checking behind him to make sure I was still there.

Having a bond like this with Billy is truly what keeps me going. Having such a welcoming hello during a stressful week really made me relax. I kept Billy’s smile in my mind when I got home and it really helped me realize what’s important in life. As stressful as finals can get, having someone’s smile brighten your day is far more important than any test I could take.

Mistakes

Every day I make mistakes. Whether it be a small math error on my homework or forgetting to call a friend, I make mistakes all the time. I have learned that sometimes it’s ok to laugh at yourself about things like mistakes.

An instance like this recently happened at Special Gifts Theatre. At the end of class yesterday, I was helping Billy put his coat on. Of course, Billy and Joe (his twin) did not bring matching coats that day. I picked up Billy’s because it had his name in it. Joe’s mentor grabbed another coat that resembled the one I had picked up, since they both had orange on them.

Another boy in the class, Tom, usually talks to the twins a lot and laughs with them. He is usually hard to understand when he is laughing. It was really interesting, however, because he was standing directly by Joe at the end, pointing and laughing. No one in the class could figure out what was so funny.

http://www.beauty-and-the-bath.com/image-files/identical-twins-short-hairstyles.jpg

When Tom’s mom came to pick him up, she asked where Tom’s coat was. He walked over to Joe again and started laughing. His mom began laughing as well and told us that Joe had put on Tom’s coat instead of his own! The whole room filled with laughter, including Joe. He apologized for the mistake and everything was fine.

Watching this happen, I realized that Joe was not embarrassed or sad at what mistake he had made. In fact, he thought it was hilarious! He taught me something that day. It turns out to be better if you laugh off a mistake rather than dwell on it for a long period of time. I have decided to try laughing off my simple mistakes from this point forward thanks to Joe.