This year, I have worked extensively with Ability Path, an organization which offers residential care to neurologically disabled individuals, in Redwood City, California. The group I worked with had around 20 residents, and it was a wonderful experience being able to work with them.
I was nervous on the drive down to Ability Path. I had no idea how similar or different it would be to Mustard Seed, or what kind of conditions the people had. As soon I walked through the front door, an elderly woman named Christine (one of the residents) grabbed me and sat me down. She handed me a piece of paper, and asked me to draw "JVC". She described him to me, saying that he was a tall man with red hair who used crutches to move around. After I finished, Christine asked me to cut out the picture I just drew and put it in her handbag. I asked one of the caretakers, Josh, who "JVC" was. He said that JVC was one of the residents at AbilityPath a long while ago, and was Christine's good friend. Everytime a new volunteer comes to AbilityPath, Christine asks them to draw JVC. In my life, I often let go of relationships to people I haven't seen in a long time. It amazed me how Christine holds onto the memories of past friends, and keeps them close to her heart with her paper drawings.
After I drew JVC, I sat down at a table with a man named Patrick. He was writing in his journal, so I asked him what the topic was. Patrick told me that he was writing a story about his brother, James, and how he was the captain of a Star Trek ship. After I read Patrick's story, he showed me a picture of his brother on his phone, and told me everything he admired about him.
Next, I talked to Jimmy, and we had a long conversation that spanned several interesting topics. We chatted mostly about the possibility of Klay Thompson leaving the Warriors. I wanted Klay gone, but Jimmy wanted the Dubs to keep him for old times sake, especially after he helped us win all those championships in the past.
A common theme among the AbilityPath residents are their strong relationships with their family, friends, and people they look up to. In my life, I have sometimes felt that my paralyzed shoulder is a burden to my family, distancing myself from the people I love. What the AbilityPath residents teach me is that my disability is a reason to love my family and friends more, because they stuck with me through tough times .
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