On Earth as it is In Heaven

Posted: 5 years ago

On Earth as it is In Heaven

I cried today at a theme park designed for people with disabilities and made for all.

A woman at the ticket counter had a physical disability. We chatted about my son with Down syndrome and blogging. Another woman without a disability walked over and joined. I had to move on because a line was forming behind me. People with physical disabilities and cognitive disabilities, and those without were waiting to get in.

Later we met Dean, pictured here. Dean helped me keep an eye on my two boys. We chatted about his job coach, living situation and mom who lives in a different town. He said, “I think your family is awesome,” before high-fiving both my boys and asking me to take his picture.

That’s when the tears came.

Years ago, before I had my son with a disability, those tears may have been tears of pity. Because I would have assumed all of the disabled I saw were living a less than life. Soon after my son was born, they may have been tears of worry—worry over just how much my son’s disability would affect him.

Today, the tears came because I saw exactly how the world should be.

The world should embrace all. The world should be accessible to all. The world should be full of communities with large tables where everyone has a seat.

We were taught to pray for it to be on earth as it is in heaven. Today, I’m pretty sure I saw a snapshot of what that looks like. A place where no one is made to feel less, a place where we see disability as an integral part of who someone is instead of being viewed as something someone has. A place where all are welcome and celebrated for coming exactly as they are.

Thank you Morgan’s Wonderland for showing us how it should be, how it could be, and how it is in your space of the earth

heaven down syndrome

Jillian Benfield

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