Monday, July 15, 2013

Bad Day 369--One day more!

That title is for Child 2 because she's been singing that song all day. She loves Les Mis and keeps asking if we can make a video of us flash mobbing to "One Day More." I keep saying no. I'm pretty sure I won't change my mind about that one. But technically it's only one more night because Husband will be here in 8 hours. Eight hours and our unaccompanied tour will be over. Finished. History. It will linger in our memories for a long, long time and I'm not sure my leave balance will ever recover. But we have almost made it to the end. Now, sing that Elton John song, "I'm still standing!" with me.


I said good-bye to my awesome office today. It was hard, but since I'm not even leaving the building, I know I'll see them again. I will miss working with such incredibly smart and witty people, though. Thankfully, my new co-workers are really, really funny and they still laugh at my jokes, so I feel right at home. I was afraid I would have a hard time carrying everything all the way across the building (because my new office couldn't be farther away unless it was outside the building) but Child 1 and Child 2 came to have lunch with me and I made them be my Sherpas. That way they could see my new office and I would get help carrying my stuff.

Child 1 says every time she comes to the Department, she remembers why she wants to work there. I hope she will someday. I felt that way when I was just a couple of years older than her. And I remember my very first trip to the Department and it was magical and we accidentally got caught in a photo op with the Secretary and it made me never want to work anywhere else. It took me a while, including a 10 year detour to have children, but I did it and it is every bit as amazing and wonderful as I dreamed it would be all those years ago.

This pretty little girl in Georgia is having a worse day than me. Really, could she be any lovelier? I doubt it.


She unfortunately had severe neurological damage at birth and is in a wheelchair which was specially made for her. Her family took her to the Ships of the Sea museum in Savannah and they wouldn't let her enter because--get this--her wheelchair wheels might get the floors dirty. They said she could either use one of the museum's chairs, which I'm sure were made for adults and wouldn't fit her, or she could wait outside and watch a video while everyone else went inside. While she sat there. Alone. Denied admission because of her disability. Well, if you know me, then you know how infuriated I get about this kind of thing. That a museum would deny admission to a disabled child just turns on every mother bear instinct I have. I am about ready to drive down to Savannah and yell at that museum in person. So thank you, sweet child, for being the special girl you are and for reminding me that I need to pinch Child 3's cheeks because I just need to hug my scrumptious child. And to the Ships of the Sea museum, shame. on. you! You should never, ever turn a child away because of a disability, and if you do, you deserve every bad bit of publicity you get. And to the parents of this sweet girl, come on up to DC because I know from personal experience that the Smithsonian is very wheelchair accommodating and I can just tell by looking at her that your daughter would love seeing Dorothy's shoes.


1 comment:

  1. New song for you all: "Dancing in the Streets."

    God bless you, Husband, Children 1,2,3 and Dog.

    Wishing you a joyous reunion,
    Artemis and Adonis

    ReplyDelete