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.