Looking back, I have no regrets as to the path we chose for Mandy. As pioneers in our educational system and as advocates for the acceptance of people with differences into communities, our pleasure and success came in our relationship with our daughter. As parents we were only catalysts, providing her with the opportunities to build and develop friendships at school and in the community. Yet many times I asked myself, “What do I really want for Mandy?” One day, as I looked out my front window, I knew.
There, as the wind whistled about and the first snow flurry of the year danced in the air, two little girls sat with their jackets off. They knew that they weren’t allowed to have their coats off but it was fun. As they laughed and played on the lawn swing they tried to catch snowflakes on their tongues. Suddenly, overwhelmed, tears began to stream down my face. I said out loud, “_This is what it is really all about!_ This is the kind of life I want for both my children. This is the future. A future where integration is no longer an issue but a fact of life.”
I have learned never to “judge a book by its cover”. I have learned that change is not easy and it does not happen over night. You have to make it happen!
