Life with Cate Stories
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week. I am reporting live from Cape Cod, so it has been a great week here. Today I just wanted to tell some stories about encounters I have had with people while I have been out with Cate. I think they are really fun to tell (even the bad ones), so let's get into it.
The first story I want to tell has to be my most told story because it honestly was pretty crazy to me. One day about 3 years ago, me and Cate were in Wegmans together looking for shampoo. We both needed a new bottle, so I took her with me while my parents went to another aisle. I had her parked in the aisle and I was giving her different options to try and be engaging (my mom would be proud), and as I was talking to her, this middle aged woman approached us. She came up to me, touched my arm, looked me dead in the eye, and said "honey you are so brave." Now I was completely taken aback and dumbfounded because it was so random and sudden, so I think I either just smiled or was like "um thanks," but after I realized what she actually had said to me, I was furious. I realized that this complete stranger came up to me and told me that I was "brave" for being out in public with my sister. I think this was so upsetting to me because I was doing a stereotypically "normal" thing with Cate, and then this woman told me that I was brave for doing it because of Cate's disability. Now I really understand that this lady was most likely just trying to be nice to us, but what she said and the way she said it was just all wrong. As frustrating as this encounter was to me, it ended making a great story to tell.
The second story I wanted to tell today is one of the best and honestly most heartwarming encounters I have had. Last year my entire family was at a funeral for my mom's best friend's grandmother, and my mom asked me to walk Cate to the back of the church because she was being loud. Cate absolutely loves music, and because the music in the church was so loud, she was so excited and being very noisy. I was standing alone in the back of the church with her, and an older woman came up to us. She said hi to Cate and looked at me and said how she had a brother with special needs, and that she loved seeing us together. She explained to me that her brother lived in an institution most of his life because that is what they did at the time with people with disabilities, and that she really appreciated seeing us together because she can sense the love between us. She got choked up telling me about her brother, and said that she wished he was around more, and that the bond between me and Cate was so special. She took my hand as she was leaving and said that she wished us the best. Although this story is sad, it really showed me that Cate brings out the best of people, and I was really touched by her words and that she even shared this sensitive story with me. I have always held on to the woman's words and am so thankful for the life I have with Cate.
I love writing about my stories with Cate. The message behind both of these is that a) people can say some strange things and b) Cate brings out the best in people. I will definitely tell some more in the future. If you feel so inclined, tell me some of your stories, I would love to read them. I hope you all have a great weekend and a great week ahead!
-Alex