Coexist

Amelia had a Hanukkah party yesterday in her Kenan Class & today she had a Christmas Ornament Party in her Hamm Class. I titled this blog "Coexist" because I always see that religious bumper sticker around town and it makes me smile and reflect. While I know that it is important to have your own beliefs that you stand for I have found as I get older that open-mindedness, tolerance, and acceptance become a virtue. When you are young you believe what your parents teach you, directly and indirectly. As you grow older your view broadens because of life experiences. For example, I never encountered special education until I worked in the school system and then Amelia was born and I got to step into this new world full of disappointments and blessings. When I was young I was taught that drugs are wrong, but then as an adult I met a drug addict and began to see how hard of a cycle it is to break. When I was young I was taught abortion was wrong, but then as an adult this girl becomes your friend and you hear her story and you understand. I grew up in a conservative town where homosexuality is a sin, but one of my best friends is gay. I love him and I think he deserves to fall in love and be loved. When I was young I was taught to believe in God and Christianity. Walking through this life, I have met people of different faiths, different ways of viewing life, and even some that life has treated so unkindly that they don't know what they believe anymore. You start understanding that those debates you use to have in school, you know the one where you pick a side, like Pro-life or Pro-Choice are not real life because real life is not black and white. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate my conservative upbringing and it always knocks on my heart when I really have to question my morality,but I guess what I am trying to say is that the more I have experienced life the more I have learned to coexist. You meet people that you thought you would judge, that you were taught to judge, but you push through the stereotypes because they are not some hypothetical, they are real, they are your friends, your neighbors, & your family. During this holiday season, I hope that we can all celebrate our beliefs & also remember that there is peace in coexistance. attached are pictures from Hanukkah Party and Christmas Party at Atlanta Speech School Scarlett Giles