For the Original Buckaroos

Mama Zen in your entry for the Generous December Group Writing Project, you re-told the story of witnessing a Christmas miracle of your own. You asked us to support dignity, human rights and quality of life for everyone. This is a cause especially close to my heart. One of my uncles happens to have Down’s Syndrome. Luckily, Uncle Ross has never been institutionalized. He has always lived with family. Since my grandmother’s death, he has lived with his sister, my aunt, who is closest to him in age.

My Uncle Ross is a very, very kind man. When he met my husband, Uncle Ross told him that he looks just like Tom Cruise. He has always been kind. When my siblings and I were children, one of the highlights of a visit to our grandparents’ house was the chance to go into our uncle’s room and play with his musical instruments. We had an informal country band, Owen Baggott and the Buckaroos. My younger brother, Owen, was the leader. Of course, none of us could actually play any instruments and we never had an ear for country music, so we never actually got to go on tour.

Mama Zen, your post brought back lots of good memories and got me thinking.

My brother became an amateur athlete. My uncle, who sometimes finds living with his sister hinders his independence, needs opportunities to get out of the house. The Special Olympics, mentioned in your post, addresses both of their interests. So, inspired by your post, I made a very appropriate donation of $20 to The Special Olympics. To give it an even more family-oriented flavor, I directed the money to Bulgaria where my husband is from.

It is a gift to two of the original Buckaroos and my husband. Merry Christmas boys.