This Side of Invisible

After I got married and before I had my first child, I worked in a life skills center for disabled adults.  This is Edgar, his was 62 at the time this photo was taken and yes, he has Down's Syndrome.  As an infant in the late 1930's, he was placed in an institution because his disability made him unsafe and put his siblings at risk.   *note: please try and ignore my overly large pregnant-ness in the pic :) I'm not sure I can comprehend, as a mother, sending my child off to an institution.  At least, that's my initial thought.  But if I am honest, and if I were Edgar's mother and the whole world was fear mongering about how dangerously unpredictable he would be and about how taxing it would be, how difficult, how alone I would be, I might have listened too.  During that era, with so little help and compassion in regards to disabilities or mental health challenges, was there really another option for Edgar's mother?  

You ask my kids and they all know what a 'power up' is.  I doubt any kid growing up in our technology age doesn't know.  Of course, I am old school so I still picture Mario punching a brick and getting a coin or a mushroom :) What my children my not know is that real life is full of 'power ups' too, all kinds, in fact, and not all of them good or long lasting.  But there is one, the ultimate Power Up, that you can not only obtain, but create for yourself, any time, any where, whenever you need it, why ever you need it, as often as you need it. Your Power Up: The Power of You!  I know it's sounds a little cheesy, but positive self affirmations can super charge your battery pack.