Guest guest Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 Thank you for posting this. I havn't seen this poem in a long time. . 15 years ago someone gave this poem to me. So, here's to All the new parent starting this journey.Alway remember Holland really is a great place. Happy hoidays and health new year. Marla Welcome to Holland I still cry every time I read this, but being the parent of a special needs child, it couldn't be more true. He is such a fun loving, funny and lovable kid. I am eternally grateful for what my son has accomplished so far and continue to be amazed of what he can do and what he continues to learn to do. This story not only is about disabilities, but all aspects of life. If we sit and complain about all that is wrong, we may never realize everything that is right. So enjoy what we have and not worry too much about what we don't have and remember...Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain. Hope all of you have a safe, happy and healthy holiday. “Welcome to Holland ” By Perl Kingsley, 1987. I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this…… When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy . You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo . The gondolas in Venice . You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland .” “ Holland ?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland ?? I signed up for Italy ! I’m supposed to be in Italy . All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy .” But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy , less flashy than Italy . But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy … and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.” And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away…because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But…if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy , you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland . Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and favorite sites in one place. Try it now. No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.9.19/1853 - Release Date: 12/17/2008 8:31 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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