When I was a very young girl I learned of Aunt Christine. I was told she was ‘retarded’. That was the ONLY word EVER used (by my mother) to describe her. I was made to feel like something was wrong with Aunt Christine. I was afraid of her. Yet, I was made to eat a coconut cookie that she’d made during the only visit clear to me. I didn’t like the cookie & have not developed a taste for coconut to this day. Aunt Christine had Down Syndrome. She was not ‘retarded’. She, I’m sure, was a precious gem. If I had been taught to respect her & love her unconditionally, she would have been the purest safest soul on that side of the family. But they didn’t have it in’em to teach/give. If you ask me, a whole lot of something was wrong with everyone else & NOT Aunt Christine. She would be somewhere in her 80’s if she were still alive. I look forward to knowing her & loving her … & sharing in the excitement of being together in a world that is new!
Nikki In a Nutshell 