Square Dancing with Jeremy
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a really heartwarming memory.
Lots of special-need moms and dads are signing up right now for our upcoming season of Family Retreats. I could jabber on and on about the families whose lives are changed and the way the Word of God works in the hearts of so many disabled kids and adults. But when I reflect on it all, often the sweetest memories are, well, the most unexpected — like what can happen during a wheelchair square dance. Okay, I know what you’re thinking, Square dancing in wheelchairs?! Isn’t that a bit dangerous? Unequivocally, yes, it is. Especially with the way I drive my wheelchair. It happened last summer at Mission Springs Family Retreat. It was after dinner, the sun was setting, and the fiddle music started up over at the basketball court — that was the signal for families to gather for a real western square dance. Can’t you just picture me and Ken do-si-do-ing?
But, my partner wasn’t Ken — square dancing and the hokey-pokey are not his thing (and I posted a fun video of us at joniandfriends.org/radio to prove it. You’ll have to see it after this). Rather, instead at Mission Springs, my partner was a 20-year old blind young man named Jeremy. Now you have to picture this, we are dance partners, okay? But I’m paralyzed in a wheelchair and this kid is blind. Like, just how does that work?! Well, I told Jeremy to put down his white cane; hold on to my wheelchair handles with both hands, with all his heart, and off we went: alamanding left and circling to the right, and swing your partner and do-si-do back home. Did we run into anybody in our square? Nope, not a chance!.
And there was even a kid with Down syndrome in our square who didn’t even know his right from his left. Everyone in our square not only had to watch out for each other, but we had to be alert as to where all the other squares were — there were a lot of wheelchairs and people on crutches square dancing on that basketball court. But, oh, we all had such a wonderful time. It’s so hard to describe how neat it felt for me, a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, to be sharing a dance with a blind kid. It was like, “Oh, man, I can do this… and so can he. The paralyzed leading the blind? Why not?!”
It was one of those moments when I could just feel the pleasure of God and His joy watching so many medically fragile people, so many folks with disabilities just having a hands-down, slam-dunk, fun time together! I know that Jesus said, in Matthew Chapter 15 “If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit,” but this was one night where nobody fell or stumbled. It was a night of family celebration over the goodness of God; no one complaining; no one feeling sorry about what they couldn’t do, but everyone embracing the joy of what we could do. Yep, we could do all things through Him who strengthened us — even alamanding left and swinging your partner! Hey, don’t forget to visit my radio page today and watch that square dance. It’ll show how awkward my wonderful husband can be on a dance floor; and it’s so much fun, you will definitely want to share it! It’s all there for you at joniandfriends.org/radio. And if it inspires you, then pray about serving this coming summer at one of our Joni and Friends’ Family Retreats. Come and be a volunteer to a friend like Jeremy. There’s always room for one more square on the dance floor. Thanks for listening today on Joni and Friends.
© Joni and Friends
