For a little over a year, I have been privileged enough to serve on the board of our local chapter of the ARC.  I got to meet regularly with a group of people committed to filling the needs of people of all ages with developmental disabilities in our community.  We have had no executive director, and the board ends up doing incredible amounts of work to make programs and events run without a hitch.  We have hosted run/walks, teen clubs, movie nights, speakers, and workshops, and have provided grants for training and respite to families in need.

The Boy made creative shapes with his tickets while waiting for the tin-can raffle to be done.

Tonight, we celebrated with our annual membership meeting and dinner dance, and it was a great way to end my term as a board member.  The Boy and I got a little dressed up (after we ran to the store to replace the missing clip-on tie that threatened apocolypse a half-hour before the event), and ate and boogied the night away.  The Boy’s favorite part of this is always the tin-can raffle, largely because he wins just about everything he wants to win.  This year was no exception: he put tickets in for three prizes, and walked away with all of them – Lucky Boy!!  And of course, one of them was an “I love cats” mug – too much serendipity there…

My ticket art was much more boring, and I could only make a triangle. The Boy said, “That’s not even equilateral, Mom.”

My favorite part is watching all of the kids and young adults dancing, laughing, and having a great time with friends.  They sure know how to party!  A few times, I caught a couple of kiddos posturing in the mirrors on the walls of the banquet hall, admiring themselves and how adult and dressed up they were.  If you want to be reminded about what’s really important in life, and have a great time doing it, these guileless and joyful folks are the ones to show you.