Covalence and Miracles

I SHOULD have been paying attention in church today...and I did, mostly...but as usual, my brain took a hiatus into other verses...and bounced in and out of comments and science...yeah...I would explain it if I could, but it's almost as much a mystery to me too, so let's hit the highlights, shall we?

There was a Venn Diagram that was put up in church as an illustration that caused it all, I believe...

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I remembered a comment on my last blog post about strengths/weaknesses/similarities/compliments and Down Syndrome and "typical" folks...I was dragging my psychological feet over the "just like you campaign" and my brilliant commenter, Angel, validated my irritation that NO ONE is "alike"...and she made the comment, that she likes to think of people like Venn Diagrams, and I very seriously couldn't agree more.  We have similarities and strengths like hundreds of other people, but no one ever is really a carbon copy of the core of anyone else.  No one brings the exact strengths, with the exact history, with the exact experiences, with the exact perspectives of anyone, ever.

 

And because I was in church, I was struck for the thousandth time of the whole the church is the Body of Christ passage.  Even the One who made us, knew no one was the same.  Everyone brings different skills and abilities, which is why it is the Body of Christ. There are hands, feet, eyes, ears, and arms...and they all have the responsibility to report in needs, and the responsibility to do something about them.  Each part is interlinked, but they all have specialities.  I mean, check me if I am wrong, but I need my eye and my foot, but for entirely different purposes...and I need both to function smoothly in my life.

 

"One Body with Many Parts

¹² The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ¹³ Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,^[e] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.^[f]

¹⁴ Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
¹⁸ But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. ¹⁹ How strange a body would be if it had only one part! ²⁰ Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. ²¹ The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
²² In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. ²³ And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, ²⁴ while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. ²⁵ This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
²⁷ All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it."
~1 Corinthians 12:12-27

If you don't want to go the Bible route, feel free to go the Covalent Bond route. 

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In order for our world to function, you have millions of different combinations of atoms making up billions of different molecules that make up EVERYTHING.  But in order to make up different molecules, they bond together to strengthen weaknesses and make amazing and unique things.  An atom of Hydrogen is terrific.  An atom of Oxygen is superbly important.  But just as imperatively, we need water for life.  And so on...

 

And when Jesus was on Earth, he was called on to heal people's illnesses and injuries.  He was called to protect people's bodies from medical conditions that were damaging them.  He was never called on to "heal" someone of differences.  Never did he choose to do so to make their relationships easier or so someone else was less judge-y.  He was not called on to heal the kid who looked funny.  Or the man that behaved like a child.  Or the woman who flapped her hands in excitement.  He called on everyone not to judge and write someone off.  He gave requests according to abilities.  He asked for your all.  Not for all he wanted to get done.  Just your portion.  Just your talents.   I assure you we all have different talents.  I can further assure you, that everyone has one.

 

Find your speciality.  Use your talent.  Change someone's world.  Because if you see a need, you have everyone else's abilities to help make a miracle.





World Down Syndrome Day 2014

Today is World Down Syndrome Day. The significance is 3:21, for 3 copies of the 21st chromosome.  I'm supposed to ask you to wear blue and yellow or crazy socks to "bring awareness" to my girl's world...

I'm not going to ask you to. Instead, I'm going to ask you to do three things for me:
1) Be extra patient with someone
2) Smile at someone acting "off" and not like you
3) Record deeply in your core, no matter what someone's neurological structure or chromosomal binding we all want the same thing: freedom to be ourselves and to be respected as a human being.


Usually, my days are wildly different from yours.  My child deals with demons that don't even operate in the shadows of normalcy. Today, I am going to stick a toe in the campaign that usually annoys me, because it's partly true.  "More Alike Than Different".

The reason that it annoys me, is that it encourages the usual oppression of trying to make everyone the same.  We aren't.  And that's a good thing.  We all bring different memories, skill sets, expertise, perspectives, and strengths to everything in life.  This is not bad.  This makes us interrelate and build relationships and societies.

BUT for today, I want to remind you that whether we are good at writing or math or speaking in public or serving those who cannot do for themselves, we all have interests and needs that are similar.  We want to be valued for our unique skills.  We want to be loved because of and despite our flaws.  We want to have friends and we want to live our lives with impact and gusto.  And people with Down Syndrome are no different.

Elise is an odd duck, but you share some of her oddities:

1) Elise loves chips.  She prefers it for dessert, 8 times out of 10.
2) Elise adores hockey.  She disdains figure skating.
3) Elise loves a good action adventure movie.
4) Elise thinks Ironman hung the moon.
5) She loves parties.
6) She loves hunkering down at home for days to get her "strength for life" back.
7) She loves to rewatch her favorite movies to soothe frazzled nerves.
8) Pizza is the world's best invention. 
9) Second to the TV
10) She is a chicken piranha.  She can clean it to the bone in seconds, making it sparkle, and possibly suck the marrow out.
11) She refuses to wear shoes that hurt.
12) She LOVES to observe and admire shoes and shop for shoes.
13) She loves computers.
14) She loves to swim.
15) The beach fills her soul with pure peace and joy.
16)  Elise has a memory like a steel trap.
17)  Elise's mental state is closely related to the weather outside.
18) Elise loves foreign foods.  Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Indian...she likes the interest of spices.
19) She loves to create things.
20) She loves books.
21) She has friends and treasures them.