Gina Loudon challenges Americans to ‘get uncomfortable,’ prepare to fight.
This weekend, I had the honor of giving the commencement address at the university where I received my bachelor’s degree, William Woods University. This is the text of my remarks:
I take great comfort about today knowing two things:
1) If you are looking down at your smartphones the whole time, I can pretend you are so inspired that you are live tweeting, and
2) You won’t remember who spoke at your commencement anyway.
I threw it out there on social media, as I do sometimes for ideas, and one person told me to simply tell my story. Then he reminded me of something I had posted days before. In a nutshell, this is my story. I am calling it “Breakfast,” because essentially, that is where you are today. I will explain.
I have a son with Down syndrome through the miracle of adoption, and he is the belly laugh of our family. …
I have five amazing children. I am the most disgustingly sappy mama you ever knew. But Sam is special, because somehow, through his Down syndrome, he manages to teach us the most. And somehow, though nonverbal, he manages to say the most to me. And somehow, though he doesn’t get to do a lot of things we might think are important in life, his life is the fullest. And he seems to know that best of all.
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