Sometimes, two days may seem like a short time. But for a family facing the daily challenges of caring for a child with special needs, two days to breathe, enjoy themselves, and simply be together can mean the world.
Simona Anca is Women’s Ministries Director for the Northern Transylvania Conference in Romania, but she is also active in an association for Families with Children with Special Needs. In Moldovenești, a camp was organized by Simona Adriana Anca and Lavinia Rmd at the Perla Transilvaniei Guesthouse, so that families could experience a break from daily routine, spend time together, and make memories, and feel welcomed.
For mothers of children with disabilities, the world isn’t always an easy place. Sometimes they have to explain. Other times they have to protect. To anticipate reactions, to meet people’s gazes, to have patience for two and strength for one more day. That is precisely why meeting people who do not judge, do not withdraw, and do not view differences as a burden can itself become a gift.
The families appreciated the staff at the Perla Transilvaniei Guesthouse not only for the lodging, meals, or amenities provided, but especially for their openness, patience, respect, and kindness. “There are things that can’t be measured in money, but that stay with you for a long time,” said representatives of the Ianna Association and the participating families.
And perhaps this is the most beautiful lesson of these two days. Inclusion doesn’t always start with big projects and complicated words. Sometimes it starts very simply: with an open door, with patience, with a smile, with a willingness to accept others just as they are.
For the children, it was two days of camp and joy. For the parents, a few moments when the daily burden became a little lighter. And for the rest of us, their story can serve as an invitation: to build communities where no mother feels she has to apologize for her child’s needs, and no child feels they are “too different” to be accepted. Because sometimes, the most beautiful thing we can offer a person is to tell them, through the way we welcome them: “There’s a place for you here, too.”