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The Easter weekend is a festival of hope governed by my faith — Christian — who celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the everlasting hope.
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The Easter season also brings that soulful gurgling sound of snow, now water, streaming down neighbourhood streets and back alleys into the storm water system.
The land is warming.
Our farmer friends will soon unceremoniously tug tarps off machinery to pulverize, and then nurture, the land in hopes, of course, of a healthy autumn harvest.
And, for Edmonton Oilers hockey fans, the playoff season is about to drop with hopes of … well, it doesn’t get much more exciting.
Easter: the profound season of hope.
This journalistic journey will garner frowns from Easter dinner guests. But I suggest it needs to be in conservation.
Full disclosure: This is close to home. Too close.
As a person who lives with a disability, my mom and dad’s extraordinary love for me is … well, finding a correct adjective is, indeed, impossible.
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In fact, Philadelphia’s Institute of Achievement for Human Potential agreed with their parenting skills.
Over a five-year period Mom and Dad took me to Philadelphia for treatment. The message from the Institutes was clear: children with disabilities undergoing their treatment had more success doing it at home — with their parents, the people who are closest to them.
That’s why the Calgary story of a 27-year-old woman with autism who has requested medical assistance in dying is not only jarring, but sends a message which is dangerous.
The Calgary case is still before the courts. A publication ban shields the names of the parties, and, honestly we don’t need to know them.
The fact this is a news story, once again, magnifies people with disabilities who lack services and programs to enhance their lives so they feel they can be at the very best they can.
Working with today’s theme of hope, a vibrant support system manifests this.
And this is where the waters, notwithstanding the aforementioned spring runoff, become extremely muddied.
MAID is not for people with mental disabilities.
Or, so we’re told.
Yet the young woman must be functioning at a very high level with her autism to make such a statement.
Autism is in the mental disability spectrum, isn’t it?
If we go on that premise, the amount of bureaucratic red tape must have been staggering for this case.
In a country such as Canada, where heroic citizens Terry Fox and Rick Hansen were fuelled by hope throughout every inch of their incredible projects, it’s mind boggling their spirit of doing the impossible is ignored.
Especially by the lawmakers.
Their decisions sadly filter down to people who have perceived reasons not to have strong expectations.
But they can — if all of us ban together to shower the gift of opportunity.
Easter weekend is a time of miracles.
Let’s hope we get one.
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