It is difficult to find time to blog on the weekends, so I think I will combine all my weekend gratitude into Monday's posts from now on. Today I want to share with every possible person I can reach, how an organization called Angels on Stage has changed my family.
Angels on Stage is a theatre troupe serving kids with special needs. The kids who perform with AoS run the gamut in terms of challenges. There are kids with neuromuscular disease, kids with Down Syndrome, kids on all areas of the Autism spectrum . . . you name it. I've met parents whose child was afraid to leave the house, but is now learning public speaking and becoming independent. Many of these kids would never have been given a role in a typical theater production. AoS not only gives them the opportunity, it provides the support they need to succeed, and more. They provide buddy coaches, each of whom is a gift to our kids, and the staff is such a unique group of people who have backgrounds in both theater and special education. They create an atmosphere in which all the kids, no matter the challenges, can thrive.
There is a song that they sing at the end of every practice, and also at the end of each show. It starts with just one Angel standing alone singing the words "If just one person believes in you. Deep enough and strong enough believes in you. Hard enough and long enough, it stands to reason that someone else will think 'If he can do it, maybe I can do it" making it two . . ." and then a second angel comes out and they sing the second refrain together . . . and then a third comes out to sing, then fourth. Then they all come out to finish the song "And when all those people believe in you . . . It stands to reason that you yourself will start to see what everybody sees in you. And maybe even you, can believe in you too." (And now I pause because I can't even type the words without crying. Good golly am I hot mess of sentimentality.) This is now our fourth season with AoS and I still cry every single time I hear them sing that. What makes that song so powerful is the fact that it is an absolute truth, and it is personified in this organization.
The people who put AoS together and who work so hard to support and teach and inspire our kids, do absolutely believe. While much of the world looks at kids with special needs through the lens of disability, these people look at our kids through a lens of possibility. They believe with their whole hearts that these kids can do amazing things, and their faith translates into their faith, and they make magic. The truly do.
My own experience with AoS began when Gabriel joined in their second season. It was such a joy to see him up there, dancing and singing as a jungle boy in Jungle Book! I cried through all the performances, not just for my Peanut, but for all those kids. They truly blew me away! They embraced the opportunity with such fervor and such joy. It is a miraculous thing to watch kids who, in every day interactions, may seem inhibited, insecure, (and to some, even incapable) get up on a stage in front of a packed theatre and declare "Here I am! Look what I can do!" The following season they put on an amazing production of Aladdin that, again, just left the audience in awe. That year was also the year my oldest son was dealing with bullying and his self esteem took a horrible beating. It was at our last practice of the season, when all the Angels get to take a turn and go on stage and shine, doing whatever they wanted to share, that the light bulb went off and I realized that I should have had Nick in this all along. I realized I had been doing Nick a great disservice. My view and understanding of his challenges with Asperger's was colored by his brother's Down Syndrome. I failed to see how difficult Asperger's truly can be because it wasn't the same glaringly obvious challenges that come with Down Syndrome. When I finally "got it" and realized how much he could benefit from the safety and acceptance that AoS provided, I asked him if he would like to join, and he was very hesitant. He was afraid and he didn't think he could get on a stage, so I told him "That's the best part of Angels. It is not about the production, it's about YOU. So if you join and come have fun at the practices and at the end of the season, when it is time to perform onstage, if you still don't want to, you don't have to." So he reluctantly agreed.
That next season the play was Alice in Wonderland, all three of my boys were Angels, and Nick asked for a role that had no lines. (He was a Card). We made it through the season and at Tech week (the week leading up to show weekend when we have dress rehearsals every night), as they closed out each rehearsal that week, they asked Nick if he would like to be one of the first 3 kids to step out and sing "Just One Person" and he declined every night. But he told the production manager he would try on show night. Friday night they had the first performance, and they all come out and performed their roles and left us all in tears. Then an Angel came out to start singing Just One Person. Then the second Angel came out. And then Nick. Holding a microphone and singing on stage in front of a packed theatre. I don't think there are words to describe what a huge victory that was for him. I'm quite sure no parent was crying as hard as I was. Now AoS is beginning its fifth season (and our fourth with them), and this year Nick auditioned for and got the speaking role he wanted, and he is showing more confidence and reclaiming his self esteem. Gabriel and Elijah are both also making enormous gains in their confidence and their abilities.
That is what AoS does. They take kids who so many see as "disabled" and from whom many don't expect much, and they believe in them with their whole hearts and they inspire these kids to believe in what they can do, and together, they give these kids wings to fly higher than anyone ever thought possible. I get to spend every Saturday morning surrounded by and working with all of these extraordinary people. I am so deeply grateful to all of them for what they have done for my boys, and I am so glad that I can now be a part of the AoS family by volunteering and helping out during practice. These people have become my family. They have helped to nurture my children, and they have nurtured me. They have made sure I never again feel alone on this journey of "special needs parenting" and for that I can never ever thank them sufficiently.
I am going to end this post with a request, which is not something I would normally do, but this is more than important to me. Please share this. Share it with everyone you know. If someone happens to read this who has the resources to help this organization grow by supporting us financially, or becoming a board member, or in any other way, please consider doing so. The staff and volunteers put their whole hearts into this, they are motivated by pure love for kids who have a rockier path, and they deserve all the support in the world. You can find out more at angelsonstage.org and if you will be in the San Jose area next March, please come see our kids perform. You won't be disappointed. Thank you.
And Thank YOU, Nina, Matt, De, Pam, Judy, Unc,V, Melanie, Sher, and everyone else at AoS. You all are the angels, and I thank God for you every day. You give my children a safe place to be their unique selves and you celebrate them for who they are. That is a gift beyond measure, and all I can say is thank you and I love you.
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