Ode to disability

Recently, on my way to work, I took a bus that was packed with people. I was following the routine of every worker on public transport: silent, with my cell phone in my hand, my eyes fixed on the screen, hoping that no one would bother me. Suddenly, I heard the voice of a passenger who, at the top of his lungs and without any embarrassment, was singing a ballad to a certain Jenny: “You are my love,” he repeated.

The rest of us canned sardines were only trying to do one thing: hold back our laughter. We all exchanged glances that said, “Poor guy, he's disabled.” But the truth is, we all wanted to start the morning as happy as he was. I arrived at work with a smile from ear to ear and told my colleagues: something very surreal happened on the bus, and it made my day.

I have two sisters with disabilities, but this condition still strikes me as unusual.

Yesterday was International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and I accompanied my sister Paloma to a basketball tournament organized by the association. Friends Club. There, everyone received a trophy, and the first thing they did was go and hug their parents, who could do nothing but gush with such overwhelming joy. All I could think was, "How good is the Lord!"

It is said that God is an artist and that all his works are perfect. But I have always thought that he has outdone himself with these kinds of people. Seeing the evil that exists in so many of us, our Father wanted to give us brothers and sisters in whom we see such pure innocence that we say, “I want to be like them.”.

Why wouldn't I want to be someone who is completely blameless? Someone who is cheerful, affectionate, simple, sensitive, and kind. Above all, kind. These are people who inspire tenderness as soon as you see them and are happy with very little. People who make you want to take care of them.

The society we live in rejects anyone who needs care: children, grandparents, and yes, people with disabilities. Those who are not self-sufficient are worth less. And it is a shame that progress is being made in abortion, euthanasia, and other inventions to get rid of them. If only we realized that caring for others is precisely what leads us to God and makes us happy!

Of all the gifts that the Lord has given me, one of the most precious is having sisters with disabilities. Because they are like innocent angels to me, whom He has placed in my path so that I can step outside of myself. They give me moments of freedom in which I can put aside the hell of living for myself and put myself at their disposal, seeing in them a little piece of Heaven.

God is in them, as He is in many others around me. But it is more evident in someone with this condition. That is why, every time I see someone with Down syndrome on the subway or bus wearing headphones and singing as loud as they can, I think, "How good is the Lord, who lets me see Him!"

Let us surround them, learn from them, and care for them. Let us recognize their value and love them. Because they are masterpieces created by the greatest artist of all.