The Love Of A Sister And A Parent's Hope

Grandma Lu smiled and said, "My mother used to say that need was the mother of invention. In other words people tend to make or start new things because there is a need for them. My father invented things all the time and enjoyed  making things that made his work easier. I can remember he made a contraption my mother called it that held a trash bag that held the leaves that he raked up out in the yard. This was long before anyone had gotten a patent on it and sold them in stores. He was quite a man if I do say so myself. By the way my favorite picture of his is with a book. He loved to read.

One lady who was the sister of our late president, John F. Kennedy, had such a need. Her father had insisted on an operation for her younger sister which ended up being a mistake and left her unable to enjoy the athletic games that she so enjoyed. Her name was Eunice Kennedy Shriver. 

One day she decided that since her whole family loved all kinds of sports she was going to invent something for her sister, Rosemary. So she did. It took some work and some planning. She would play with her sister and get her muscles working. Soon she started to smile again. At this time they lived on a farm in Maryland called Timberlawn. The news spread quickly that Eunice had something special going for special needs children. She soon found out that the need was great, so she went to high schools and colleges to get volunteers. She also asked parents and children without disabilities to join in the fun.  Soon Eunice had fifty children coming over. She started with one on one ratio of children and volunteers. They had horseback riding, soccer and basketball She started calling it Camp Shriver. That was in 1962. Within just a few years the idea of children and adults with disabilities were gathering all over the world at gyms and camps or wherever places could accommodate a number of people.

 Other folks started volunteering to help set up the games and soon there were over five million people in what was later called the Special Olympics in 1968. Anyone that has a medical diagnosis of any kind of disability can be a part of this wonderful organization. And guess what? It's free! There are over 32 sports of all kinds in over 172 countries. They have competitions locally, states and countries every year, not just every four years like the Olympics for folks that do not have disabilities. Folks gain self esteem and self confidence and most always have smiles on their faces that being because all they needed was a chance to achieve their goal.

Here is a picture of her with a softball team at National Olympics in 2006 in Iowa where I was raised.

"I believe that was the last game she attended, but I may be wrong."

Grandma Lu looked at the pictures in her hand and smiled a smile only a mother could. "This is my son. When he was born he could hardly see. He had to have lots of operations and special glasses. He used to get black and blue a lot because he would run into things because he couldn't see them. He had a brother that played football and wrestling in school, he had a sister that ran in track and was a cheerleader, he needed something fun to do too so he started Special Olympics. We lived in South Dakota at the time. He was in ice skating, running, and swimming. He was about eight years old when he started. One day he and a little black boy were sitting on the edge of the pool resting. The little boy with black skin pointed at Mike's black and blue spots and said, "Why aren't you black all over like me?" Mike shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know. Let's go swimming." That is the hope and dreams of all parents. They were friends because they shared a common love of swimming and they knew no color but the beautiful color of friendship. Here are a couple of pictures of him with his medals. He was so proud.

Note the tv trays, the portable black and white television and stereo and don't forget the floor lamps!