By Mark Pickup
Editor’s note. This appeared Monday on the blog of disability rights activist Mark Pickup, a frequent speaker at National Right to Life’s annual conferences. His granddaughter, Grace, calls Mark “Papa.”
This blog entry is a grandfather’s shameless bragging.
The Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta (population 1,100,000) is one of Canada’s richest cities, the Corporate hub of the province’s massive oil and gas industry and home of the world famous Calgary Stampede. Last evening (October 21st) my eight year old Granddaughter Grace won the title of Little Miss Calgary 2013.
It will be a hectic year for her with appearances at festivals and charitable functions, community events, and the usual endorsements of fundraising events for local community facilities such as the Calgary Children’s Hospital. And that does not include the Calgary Stampede parade and appearances at events during that week — all under the watchful eye of her mother (my daughter). All of this on top of her school work! Like I say, it’s going to be a hectic year for Grace and her mom.
Below is Grace`s speech to the Little Miss Calgary pageant:
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Good Evening! My name is Grace.
I want to talk to you about my Grandpa. He has MS (multiple sclerosis) & has not been able to walk for many years.
I have grown up riding on the back of his wheelchair. You see, he may be disabled, but his disability has not stopped him from being one of the best grandpa’s that ever lived.
He has taught me so much about accepting those with disabilities. About the difficulties someone faces when they can’t walk. Things that most of us take for granted.
THREE THINGS HE HAS TAUGHT ME THAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT ARE:
1. To never be ashamed of my faith in God
2. The importance of family (& the importance of grandparents)
3. That I was not born to take…but to give back to the community I live in.
We have learned this year that my Papa is now facing cancer. No easy battle when you’re already dealing with MS.
I may be only 8 years old…but I just thought it was important to say that grandparents are a blessing.
So Calgary, lets rethink our priorities and take my Papa’s advice,
PEOPLE NEED FAITH
PEOPLE NEED FAMILY
PEOPLE NEED COMMUNITY
and let’s make Calgary a STRONG CITY!
I LOVE YOU PAPA !