Everyday life is filled with people. So many that it’s easy to just move forward in our own direction without noticing what others are doing. What happens if we take time to notice? We discover the many, many gifts others have to offer us, our community and our world.

Link: https://www.redcloverreader.com/au/pamela.rice

Casey's (Super Hero) Cape by Howard D. Simmon does an incredible job of introducing the hidden heroes in our schools and communities. People are helping us every day. If we just pause and pay attention, it’s really amazing to see how much support is surrounding us. Community workers are constantly sharing gifts of their talent and time to make our lives easier.

Link: https://redcloverreader.com/au/jo.mach

What gifts can we offer our communities? How can we teach our children to find their gifts? I Want to Be Like Poppin' Joe shares a true story of a little boy with Down syndrome who learns about following his interests and abilities to share his gifts. Joe is a wonderful role model. He has Down syndrome and autism, yet he is a very successful business man. This book shows step by step how Dylan realizes some of his gifts as he helps his dad.

Here are more examples of adults with disabilities giving the gifts of themselves as they work in our communities: Workers at Wigglewow, John's Crazy Socks, Bitty and Beau's Coffee

Link: https://www.redcloverreader.com/au/andrea.doshi

Another way to find your gifts is to follow your dreams. Andrea Doshi and Jimena Durran’s book, Bessie, Queen of the Sky shares the story of a little girl with a big dream who knows the gift she wants to give the world. She is passionate about flying and wants to use her ability to fly and help others. Bessie is amazing! 

May we all use the gifts we discover within our abilities to help make our world a better place.

Jo Meserve Mach collaborates with two other woman at their publishing company Finding My Way Books to create books sharing true stories of inclusion. They have published 13 books. She worked as an Occupational Therapist for 36 years and is passionate about the voices of children with disabilities being heard in children’s literature. Click below to visit Jo Meserve Mach's author page.

Tags: finding my way, dream, special needs, social work, community