Saturday, November 20, 2010

Thanksgiving countdown #19...

Today I am thankful for diversity. Yesterday was a unique view at how un-diverse some places are! Especially Japan. Seriously, I don't think we saw one other person that had blonde hair. There were a few other Americans there, some Germans, and some middle-eastern people at the mountain - but there was literally a sea of Japanese people. Black hair, dark eyes. I loved it - but it made me realize how lucky we are in the states to be surrounded by people of all colors, races, ethnicities, disabilities, etc. If that were a place in the US, there would be a rainbow of people.

One of the things I loved about Gavin's school last year was that he was exposed to kids of different abilities. More than 1/2 of the kids had some sort of challenge - whether it was a hearing problem, Down Syndrome, paralysis, burn victim, ADD, Autism... he was in an environment where it was not treated as "different" or "unique". It was everyday school for him. It was diverse. And everyone was treated equally.

On base we have a plethora of people too - but off base is a different story. I like that my kids have to experience what it feels like to be different. I think it will make them understand that it doesn't matter what your skin color or religion, each person is wonderful within themselves. Just as they are wonderful - even if they have blonde hair and blue eyes in a land where hardly anyone else does. I hope when we get back to the states they remember what it was like to be a little different - and I hope that they don't make other people feel bad when they are the 'different' ones.

“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”
Maya Angelou

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