{"id":533,"date":"2011-02-09T13:00:33","date_gmt":"2011-02-09T13:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/thinplaces\/2011\/02\/perfectly-human-writing-by-four-adults-with-down-syndrome.html"},"modified":"2011-02-09T13:00:33","modified_gmt":"2011-02-09T13:00:33","slug":"perfectly-human-writing-by-four-adults-with-down-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/2011\/02\/perfectly-human-writing-by-four-adults-with-down-syndrome.html","title":{"rendered":"Perfectly Human: Writing by Four Adults with Down Syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"
 Over the past several weeks, we have been highlighting writings by adults with Down Syndrome and the book <\/span>Writing Our Lives<\/span> by those same adults, edited by Mary Ann Jansen. This week we have a collection of poems and an essay from the book.  To purchase your own copy of <\/span>Writing Our Lives click<\/span> <\/span>here.<\/span><\/a>     <\/span>  <\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\"kathleen.jpg\"<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
   I IMAGINE<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

I imagine<\/span><\/p>\n

having a life<\/span><\/p>\n

that lives with a dream<\/span><\/p>\n

showing me ways<\/span><\/p>\n

to do things<\/span><\/p>\n

all year round.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Telling people about<\/span><\/p>\n

my disability<\/span><\/p>\n

can be hard<\/span><\/p>\n

at times<\/span><\/p>\n

But if I give<\/span><\/p>\n

my heart away<\/span><\/p>\n

to someone,<\/span><\/p>\n

that will take<\/span><\/p>\n

me down the<\/span><\/p>\n

trail of love.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding what I<\/span><\/p>\n

like to do<\/span><\/p>\n

will let others<\/span><\/p>\n

know more<\/span><\/p>\n

about who I am.<\/span><\/p>\n

And opening my<\/span><\/p>\n

Eyes<\/span><\/p>\n

my life<\/span><\/p>\n

will shine.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Kathleen  Sheil<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\"Jenny<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My Feelings<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

I am glad to be here<\/span><\/p>\n

I don’t have to come<\/span><\/p>\n

I can choose destinies<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

I love the life I lead<\/span><\/p>\n

I am good at discovering things<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

I have to be mature<\/span><\/p>\n

I have to be planned<\/span><\/p>\n

I have feelings and I share them too<\/span><\/p>\n

I talk with other people about feelings; it helps me let them out sometimes<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

I will listen to some music when I am very stressed<\/span><\/p>\n

I admire rock and roll<\/span><\/p>\n

I like country music but jazz is better<\/span><\/p>\n

I will sometimes just simply turn on my boombox and dance to the music<\/span><\/p>\n

I like Leann Rimes the best. She sings about how all our lives are like the rose<\/span><\/p>\n

I also miss the soft pop music done by the Hanson brothers<\/span><\/p>\n

I used to calm down with the song where they talk about losing their own grandmother<\/span><\/p>\n

But I guess Alan Jackson will have to do<\/span><\/p>\n

When I don’t listen to country I always have the Beatles Yellow Submarine<\/span><\/p>\n

and the Gospel Music I listen to while riding to counseling<\/span><\/p>\n

I like “Jeremiah is like a Bull Frog”, it just calms me<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s relaxing that is my type of music<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

I used to move a lot it wasn’t a thing I could control<\/span><\/p>\n

My dad had a job and we moved around a lot<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

I like to show my feelings but sometimes have to keep it wra
\npped there<\/span><\/p>\n

I cried a lot more about the silly things when I got older<\/span><\/p>\n

I would cry when an outing got cancelled<\/span><\/p>\n

The bad part though is that I show when I am mad a lot more than when I am sad<\/span><\/p>\n

I make gorilla noises and ball my fists<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe I should be a boxer<\/span><\/p>\n

My sister is that way as well<\/span><\/p>\n

She is much more likely to show her feelings if she was mad<\/span><\/p>\n

I also show that I am very embarrassed about something – I put my head down<\/span><\/p>\n

When I am not either mad or embarrassed I am happy or excited<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Most people are sad at funerals but I prefer to think of the good things about it<\/span><\/p>\n

I think about how that person has enhanced my life because I know God will take in the<\/span><\/p>\n

rest<\/span><\/p>\n

That is my faith in God<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Jenny Crowe<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Lauren<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Moving<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n

I see four cars<\/span><\/p>\n

right there on the street.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two moving trucks outside<\/span><\/p>\n

this really nice house.<\/span><\/p>\n

The house has eleven rooms,<\/span><\/p>\n

a guest house as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n

Four men take heavy things<\/span><\/p>\n

into the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then back out<\/span><\/p>\n

to get more.<\/span><\/p>\n

The family<\/span><\/p>\n

is helping them too.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n

The kids are nervous:<\/span><\/p>\n

to get friends<\/span><\/p>\n

and<\/span><\/p>\n

going to a new school.<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Lauren Froh<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span>\"bobeffler.jpg\"<\/a><\/span><\/span>Bob Effler<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span>
<\/span>     The most valuable things I own<\/span><\/span> are Family Photo Albums and immediate family<\/span> <\/span><\/span>pictures. Family is most important to me. I like being connected to family. I want to see<\/span> <\/span><\/span>pictures of mom and dad’s wedding, pictures of my grandparents and my aunt’s, my dad<\/span> <\/span><\/span>in army fatigues. I would stay connected with family forever. This is most important for<\/span> <\/span><\/span>me to keep them in my memory until the day I would share those memories with Kelly.<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span>
<\/span>My favorite family tradition is getting together at our family camp in Morrow,<\/span> <\/span><\/span>Ohio with relatives I haven’ t seen in a long time. I like doing that because I’m all about<\/span> <\/span><\/span>family. The camp has been there since 1939 that started with my grandparents. They had<\/span> <\/span><\/span>another camp before this one but the flood of 1937 came. This is by the Little Miami<\/span> <\/span><\/span>River. My dad owned it for a while then, now my aunt has it. She remodeled it nicer than<\/span> <\/span><\/span>the way it used to be. All of us call it camp, but to my aunt calls it the cottage.<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span>
<\/span>     The people who helped me in my life<\/span><\/span> are my mom, my co-workers, my Aunt<\/span> <\/span><\/span>Martha and my dad. My mom fought through my right for education. My co-workers<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>helped me to discover a talent I didn’t think of at all. My Aunt Martha helps me as a<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>friend in later life. My dad helps me to love what I do and to give back to the community.<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span>
<\/span>     One of the best things in my life<\/span><\/span> is that I met a great guy named Tom. He takes<\/span> <\/span><\/span>me places that I want to go to. He also helps me learn how to make it on my own with<\/span> <\/span><\/span>living skills that I need to know. He is like a brother and friend to me. Tom and I have a<\/span> <\/span><\/span>great time together. He also is a really good air hockey player. He beats me every time.<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span>
<\/span>     My favorite hobby is<\/span><\/span> listening to country music from the 1990s. I also collect<\/span><\/span>
<\/span>CDs, about 300 of them. I got started in country music because of my best friend from<\/span> <\/span><\/span>high school, Tracey. She loves country music. She’ s a big fan of it. I guess she made a<\/span> <\/span><\/span>plug for country music to me. So just to get her to shut up, I tried it. I love it now myself.<\/span> <\/span><\/span>I would recommend it to people. But I won’ t use the same technique Tracey used on me.<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span>
<\/span>My song I listen to is ” Hurt Me” by Leann Rimes. It helps me to dig deep<\/span> <\/span><\/span>inside me about losing a friend who dropped a bomb on me when she told me she got a<\/span> <\/span><\/span>promotion from her previous job. I could’ve been happy. I was happy on the outside but<\/span> <\/span><\/span>inside of me it was like the song says, she ” hurt me.”<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span>
<\/span>     I imagine <\/span><\/span>being a country singer, an entertainer and songwriter. My record label<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>will be Arista Nashville Records. While I’ m a singer I will be dating either Kellie Pickler<\/span> <\/span><\/span>or an actress who loves what I do for a living. I will be touring different states and maybe<\/span> <\/span><\/span>touring Canada. I will perform for lots of people. My biggest fans who will fall hard for<\/span> <\/span><\/span>me will be Pam and Kelly.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 Over the past several weeks, we have been highlighting writings by adults with Down Syndrome and the book Writing Our Lives by those same adults, edited by Mary Ann Jansen. This week we have a collection of poems and an essay from the book.  To purchase your own copy of Writing Our Lives click here.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,1,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-disability","category-down-syndrome","category-perfectly-human"],"yoast_head":"\nPerfectly Human: Writing by Four Adults with Down Syndrome - Thin Places<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/2011\/02\/perfectly-human-writing-by-four-adults-with-down-syndrome.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Perfectly Human: Writing by Four Adults with Down Syndrome - Thin Places\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\" Over the past several weeks, we have been highlighting writings by adults with Down Syndrome and the book Writing Our Lives by those same adults, edited by Mary Ann Jansen. This week we have a collection of poems and an essay from the book.  To purchase your own copy of Writing Our Lives click here.…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/2011\/02\/perfectly-human-writing-by-four-adults-with-down-syndrome.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Thin Places\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-02-09T13:00:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/thinplaces\/assets_c\/2011\/01\/kathleen-thumb-200x132-21122.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"amyjuliabecker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Perfectly Human: Writing by Four Adults with Down Syndrome - Thin Places","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/2011\/02\/perfectly-human-writing-by-four-adults-with-down-syndrome.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Perfectly Human: Writing by Four Adults with Down Syndrome - Thin Places","og_description":" Over the past several weeks, we have been highlighting writings by adults with Down Syndrome and the book Writing Our Lives by those same adults, edited by Mary Ann Jansen. 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Two major life experiences have shaped her writing and her faith\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcaring for her mother-in-law as she battled cancer and welcoming her daughter Penny into the world after she was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome. Both experiences expanded and enriched her understanding of what it means to be human and to receive each and every person as a gift.\u00c2\u00a0 A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, she is the author of Penelope Ayers: A Memoir, and the forthcoming A Good and Perfect Gift (Bethany House). Her essays have appeared in First Things, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Century, ChristianityToday.com, and Bloom, among other online venues.","sameAs":["http:\/\/amyjuliabecker.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/author\/amyjuliabecker"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}