The Girl in the Pink Sweatshirt.

I have two granddaughters who live near by, and they both like to ice skate. Their mom, my daughter, is in a wheelchair, so sometimes I take them skating. This afternoon we agreed to meet at the ice arena, planning for me to be on the ice with them, and their mom to stay and watch them skate.

I arrived early hoping that someone would be available to sharpen my skates. No one was free to do that, so I just waiting in the lobby for the two girls to arrive.

A girl I guessed to be about 8 years old, wearing a pink sweatshirt, was wandering around in the outer lobby of the arena. She didn't seem to make eye contact with anyone and didn't speak to anyone. I wondered who she was with and eventually noticed a woman, who looked enough like her to be her mother, sitting on a bench inside where skaters lace up their skates.

After 10 or 15 minutes passed, I was somewhat startled as the girl approached me without speaking and stood looking up into my face...that is, within inches of my face. She stared right at me. I smiled and said, "Hi, what's your name?" She did not speak and just looking intently into my eyes. It was a bit disconcerting. She was invading my "personal space," but I didn't want to react negatively. I had decided pretty quickly that something wasn't quite right, and I didn't want to hurt her feelings. At this point, I noticed some odd repetitive hand motions. After a bit, she wandered off again.

A group had arrived to use the party room for a child's birthday. They hauled in presents and cake and decorations. The girl in the pink sweatshirt was clearly not part of this group, but walked right into the party room. The woman on the bench hopped up and hurried to retrieve her. I heard her comment, "Look out, she'll stick her finger right in your cake!" As she directed her from the room, I noticed the repetitive hand motions again.

The child never spoke, never made an attempt to interact with the other children.

I wondered why she had stared so intently into my face. Did she think she recognized me? Did I just look like a "grandma" who could be approached? Am I a person with whom she could connect? If I sat down to play with her, would she interact with me?

My granddaughters arrived, and I didn't notice what became of her. I think she and her mother may have been waiting for one of the little hockey players who were leaving just as free-skate was beginning.

This evening I am thinking about the girl in the pink sweatshirt and about her mother. Life with a special needs child can be more than challenging. All parenting is challenging. When a child has unique needs that fall outside the norm, an additional layer of concerns is spread all over every activity and every moment of the day.

The world is full of people with concerns that very few others really comprehend. Sometimes we travel around in life oblivious to the burdens borne by our fellow travelers. Other times, they stare us right in the face.