Francis John Canning

“I AM THE CHILD”

I AM THE CHILD WHO CANNOT TALK

YOU OFTEN PITY ME; I SEE IT IN YOU EYES. YOU WONDER HOW MUCH I AM AWARE OF…I SEE THAT AS WELL I AM AWARE OF MUCH… WHETHER YOU ARE HAPPY OR SAD OR FEARFUL, PATIENT OR IMPATIENT. FULL OF LOVE AND DESIRE, OR IF YOU ARE JUST DONG YOUR DUTY BY ME.

I MARVEL AT YOUR FRUSTRATION KNOWING MIME TO BE FAR GREATER. FOR I CANNOT EXPRESS MY NEEDS NOR MYSELF MY NEEDS AS YOU DO. YOU CANNOT CONCEIVE MY ISOLATION: IT IS SO COMPLETE AT TIMES,

I DO NOT GIFT YOU WITH CLEVER CONVERSATION CUTE REMARKS TO BE LAUGHED EVER AND OVER AND REPEATED I DO OT GIVE YOU ANSWERS TO YOUR EVERYDAY QUESTIONS.RESPONSES OVER MY WELL BEING, SHARING MY NEEDS, OR COMMENTS ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND ME. I DO NOT GIVE REWARDS AS DEFINED BY THE WORLDS STANDARDS…GREAT STRIDES IN DEVELOPMENT THAT YOU CAN CREDIT YOURSELF.

I DO NOT GIVE UNDERSTANDING, AS YOU KNOW IT. WHAT I GIVE YOU IS SO MUCH MORE VALUABLE…I GIVE YOU INSTEAD, OPPORTUNITIES TO DISCOVER THE DEPTH OF YOUR CHARACTER, NOT MINE, DEPTH OF YOU LOVE, YOUR COMMITMENT, YOUR PATIENCE AND ABILITIES THE OPPORTUNITIES TO FARTHER THAN YOU WOULD EVER GO ON YOU IMAGINED POSSIBLE. I DRIVE FARTHER THAN YOU WOULD EVER GO ON YOUR OWN WORKING HARDER SEEKING ANSWERS TO YOUR MANY QUESTIONS WITH NO ANSWER.

I AM THE CHILD WHO CANNOT WALK.

THE WORLD SOMETIMES SEEMS TO PASS ME BY: YOU SEE THE LONGING IN MY EYES TO GET OUT OF THIS CHAIR, TO RUN AND PLAY, LIKE OTHER CHILDREN, THERE IS MUCH YOU TAKE FOR GRANTED I WANT THE TOYS ON THE SHELF, I NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, OH I’VE DROPPED MY FORK AGAIN: I AM DEPENDENT ON YOU IN THESE WAYS, MY GIFT TO YOU IS TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF YOUR GREAT FORTUNE, YOUR HEALTHY BACK AND LEGS, YOUR ABILITY TO DO FOR YOURSELF SOMETIMES PEOPLE APPEAR NOT TO NOTICE ME…I ALWAYS NOTICE THEM I FEEL NOT SO MUCH THE ENVY AS DESIRE; DESIRE TO STAND UPRIGHT, TO PUT ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER, TO BE INDEPENDENT. I GIVE YOU AWARENESS,

I AM THE CHILD WHO IS MENTALLY IMPAIRED;

I DO NOT LEARN EARLY, IF YOU JUDGE ME MY THE WORLD’S MEASURING STICK, WHAT I DO KNOW IS INFINITE JOY IN THE SIMPLE THINGS. I AM NOT, BURDENED AS YOU ARE WITH STRIFE AND CONFLICTS OF A MORE COMPLICATED LIFF. MY GIFT TO YOU IS TO GRANT YOU THE FREEDOM TO ENJOY THINGS AS A CHILD DOES. TO TEACH YOU HOW MUCH YOUR ARMS AROUND ME MEAN. TO GIVE YOU LOVE. I GIVE YOU THE GIFT OF SIMPLICITY.

I AM THE DISABLED CHILD.

I AM YOU TEACHER, IF YOU ALLOW ME. I WILL TEACH YOU WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN LIFF. I WILL GIVE YOU AND TEACH YOU UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. I PRESENT YOU WITH MY INNOCENT TRUST. MY DEPENDENCY UPON YOU. I TEACH YOU HOW VERY PRECIOUS THIS LIFF IS AND ABOUT NOT TAKING THINGS FOR GRANTED. I TEACH YOU ABOUT FORGETTING YOUR OWN NEEDS. DESIRES AND DREAMS. I TEACH YOU GIVING. MOST OF ALL I TEACH YOU LOVE AND FAITH

I WAS THAT DISABLED CHILD

I WAS THAT DISABLED CHILD BUT NO LONGER FOR JESUS HAS TAKEN ME TO A BETTER PLACE WHERE NO HARM CAN COME TO ME ANYMORE


DAD