5 Disabled Folks on How to Welcome Everyone During the Holidays
Photo by Dorien Monnens on Unsplash.
I come from a big family — like, 30-people-passing-rolls-around-the-table big. When newcomers arrive, one of us will give them the rundown in the same way a “previously on” recap would catch up an audience to the present storyline. “Nine of us were born within a seven-year period,” they’d hear. “Lola and Papa eloped, because she was Filipina and he was Irish,” they might take in as another fun fact. “And that’s Kelly, she has cerebral palsy, it’s fine.”
That last line is just my imagination, because I’m not exactly sure how my loved ones describe me to outsiders. But I do see these guests observe as my cousins, siblings, parents, or whomever is nearest to me on the buffet line grab my plate and take my order before serving themselves. Over the years, if someone survives that “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” introduction — although I’m Jamaican, Irish, and Filipina, to be clear — then they may just end up doing the honors themselves one day.
