The Christmas meeting of parents and friends of the Special Needs Centre in Ignacowo, Poland, has become a cherished event firmly established in our calendar. The enthusiasm and phone calls inquiring about the date of this festive celebration bring smiles to our faces long before the official invitations are sent out.
We strive to create an atmosphere in our house that this place is a meeting of man and man and not of officials or employees. This seems to be the case when we hear from the mouths of our guests representing different environments: “I feel at home here”.
How do we build this atmosphere? The conscientious rehearsals for the Nativity play, the carefully made decorations and the setting of the table – these are the joyful efforts of the children and the adults – hosts of this evening. Afterwards, it is all about the joy of meeting, many warm words, carol singing and being together. It doesn’t matter, even if the stage fright takes away the voice of the shy actresses and the loud voice of the little boy with autism drowns out the hosts’ wishes.
The quality of our meeting lies not in the precise role-playing, but in the love and commitment with which our pupils prepared for the event. It is a time of happiness for the children and deep emotion for the parents, allowing us to momentarily set aside the hardships of daily life and enjoy being together. And we are united by this one great event: the birth of God’s Son.
