who she is...

Every other year, Miranda’s school has gone on an amazing trip to Churchill Mb. To experience polar bears, dog sledding, how northern people live and the great white north. If you know anything about us you will know how exciting a trip like this would be in our minds. We are all about learning through experiences like touch, smell and talking and meeting people from different cultures. So as we started thinking about Miranda going to this school the last few years and hearing about the kids going on this trip we thought. How cool that she will get to be a part of this. So they had the “meeting” and all the parents that were interested in their children going on this trip showed up to hear all about it. The trip sounded amazing. There would be dog sledding, polar bear sightings, bannock eating and much, much more. Oh wow, how excited we got. Dean and I signed up to go as chaperones. We got on the    internet and researched the north. So excited.

Then the bad news came….. 

There were 5 kids to many signed up and there was not room on the bus. Miranda’s name was picked out of a hat. She could not go.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to beg the principle to find a way to fit her on. Didn’t she know that this was a dream that we had made big for Miranda. A chance to go with her classmates in a way that she could learn the way she learned best. Though experience. Where it didn’t matter if you had dyslexia and had trouble learning through reading books. But where she would learn through touch, sight, smell and talk. I just didn’t seam fair.

So we called Miranda over to tell her that she couldn’t go on the trip. We explained to her that there just wasn’t room for her, and really….she had been to so many places in her 12 years and other kids may never get to see half of what she had been blessed to see and do….and maybe, maybe we could sometime travel up to Churchill and see polar bears and she would get to experience some of what her class did. Right? It was O.K. that she stayed home and ya, they would have fun in class. Right? The other thing is that there must be a reason for her to not make the cut. Maybe there was a reason beyond our understanding, where she should stay home. Maybe it was just best?

She put on her brave smile, and with watery eyes looking at me, she smiled and said. It’s ok, and if we go as a family then we all get to see the polar bears. Colton would love to see them to. Then we could all go. That would be really fun. She turned and walked away. I just couldn’t find a reason where this was O.K.

So this week as part of the school is in Churchill, the kids had a learning day. Where they could sign up for an activity that they would like to learn more about. One of the activities was Cosmetology. Miranda thought that would be fun. So armed with nail polish, mascara and eye shadow, the girls had a fun day of celebrating their beauty. Very fun! She came home eyes blue with shadow and very fancy nails.

Today, a few days later, I happened to be in the school. As I walked to the door an EA came up and said she needed to tell me about Miranda during the learning day. As the girls were polishing each other’s nails, there was a girl from their class that hadn’t been polished yet. She is a girl who is a bit different than the other girls. She doesn’t talk or communicate like they do. She has an EA with her at all times. When the EA asked the girls in the group if someone could polish this girls nails. It was very quiet. Then the EA told me Miranda piped up and said; sure she would love to do her nails. She proceeded to give her a manicure and a great hand massage and treat her with the same friendship she did the other girls in the class.

The EA told me, following day in school, this girl sat admiring her nails. Just like the other girls in their class. She hopefully felt one of them and included.

I looked at the EA and thanked her for telling me this story. I came home from that and told myself, this is the reason. This must be the reason Miranda needed to stay home. Sometimes we don’t see the whole picture. What if this girl needed to feel included that day, and Miranda was the one that needed to be there for her. To be the girl that Miranda is.

             Open. Non-judgmental. Friendly.

              Willing to be a friend to anyone.

This is who she is and I am so proud of who she is. 


"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me! Matthew 25:40