31 for 21

This child loves to swing.....







Swinging Song

by CJ Heck

Swing-ing, swing-ing,
I love swing-ing.

Bye oh bye up
bye oh bye down.
Bye oh bye feet
way off the ground.

Swing-ing, swing-ing,
I love swing-ing.

Bye oh bye high
bye oh bye low.
Bye oh bye faster
look at me go.

Swing-ing, swing-ing,
I love swing-ing.

Bye oh bye flying
up to the sky.
Bye oh bye push me
higher than high.

Swing-ing, swing-ing,
I love swing-ing.

Bye oh bye gently
bye oh bye slow.
Bye oh bye, shhhhh,
to sleep I go.

(whisper)

Swing-ing, swing-ing,
I

love

swing-ing.

How this fact of swinging relates to 31 for 21.

When Emma Sage was about a year old, I was out at garage sales with my Mother. We stopped at a lovely house to look at their wares ~ and on the mailbox I saw a hand written sign, scribbled ~ in a child's writing....... 'Wooden Swing set for Sale'

I inquired about the swing set with the gentleman of the house. He said that it was around back if I would like to look at it. At the time, we had an old metal swing set that we had gotten from Rick's brother Doug, when they had moved to Florida....and it had served its purpose well and was at the end of its life cycle. I knew that Emma Sage would probably get many more years out of a swing set, just as her siblings did, and maybe even more [which has proven to be true, as this child loves to swing.]

I go to get Emma Sage out of the car [she was with her sister] to go see.......the gentleman of the house gives me the biggest smile when he sees Emma Sage [and over the years, I have come to know that smile, as a smile from someone who 'knows' the secrets of T21]

We turn the corner of the house, and there sits a beautiful, huge wooden swing set. In the swing is a young man [whom I learned was 15] and guess what smile I shoot back at the gentleman of the house.....that same, warm, infectious, genuine smile he had shot me a few minutes before, as we realized our children were blessed with a little extra.

So, for $300.00.........we purchased a three-thousand dollar [when it was new] swing set.........and from the moment we set it up on our property, till today, that swing set gets used day-in and day-out, spring, summer, fall and even on mild days in the winter.

and for years before we had it, a young boy with Down syndrome did the same thing.......as he too loved to swing!!!!