Susan Senator

One of the pleasures of Special Olympics is the parent community. I don’t know if there is any other place on earth where people just get it, so easily. I can look anyone in the eye at the State Games and they look right back at me, and we just know. I can just strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger, while standing in line at Richie’s Slushies, and it is like we are old friends.

Yesterday, just before Nat’s third and last race, we were standing there together, eager for our blue slushies. Suddenly, but typical of me, I grabbed Nat and kissed him and I said, “One more race, you! You better win!” And the man in front of me laughed and said something like this, “Yeah, forget all this other stuff, let’s see some gold medals!”

So later on, there was quite a flurry as three gorgeous young women walked by, with sequined sashes that read, “Miss Massachusetts.” Greg, a teammate of Nat’s, called him over and said, “Get your picture taken with Miss Massachusetts, Nat!” Nat jumped up eagerly and walked over. Everyone assembled around Nat and we all waited for someone to snap the picture.

Oops. That would be me. But I didn’t have a camera! Ned was off at the ATM (more money needed for more slushies). People said, “Use the camera in your phone!” But my phone is so old and crappy that it doesn’t have a camera.

Suddenly a dad in the crowd took the picture. I gave him my email address and he seemed to be memorizing it, but — yeah, sure.

This morning, this appeared in my email inbox:

Thank you, Kindred Spirit!

ps., Nat won the gold in his next race, the backstroke.