We’ve been to an adult day center on three separate occasions. Each time I go back, I fall more in love with the people who call it “home” at least during the day. Each person has a different disability, some have downs syndrome, some are just mentally incapable, some don’t really talk, some can’t sit still and just move around the entire time, and more. Most of them are pretty high functioning, and on the majority of their faces, you will find a smile that lights up the room, and when directed towards you makes you feel great.
They love the attention. Each time we go there, we wind up doing crafts along with them which has been really fun. One day we had a dance party. It was the greatest thing. They turned on some Bulgarian folk music, which I’m coming to love, and we all joined hands and started dancing in a circle. They love to have fun and it shows on their faces.
5 of the adults there have jobs in the community. Every day they go out to lunch at a neighborhood diner of sorts, to make sure that everyone is learning to function within society – it’s so good for them! The workers at the day center truly love the adults there. It’s beautiful to see because some of the adults in the day center are the children of the workers. This day center was started years ago by mothers who wanted their children to have something better, who didn’t believe in institutionalizing their children and chose to love them despite their disabilities. It has revolutionized the city because in older generations, most families who had a disabled child would send them off somewhere where they wouldn’t have to see them often, if at all. The stigma of disabilities is still alive, unfortunately. But the day center, in integrating their adults into society instead of keeping them out of it, is changing thoughts and hearts.
One of the men at the facility, on our first day there, gave me a card that he made. On the second visit, they treated us by having a table of snacks for us to and on the third visit, one of my favorite ladies gave me a craft that she made. It always brings joy to my heart to see how well they love on us, when the reason we’re going is actually to love on them.
It’s funny how the entirety of God’s kingdom is that way; upside down. This race is complete proof of that – we thought we were going to change the world when actually it’s God, through the world, who is changing us.
