A little boy from India finds a "forever family" at last in the United States.
Nancy and Ron Morganstern from Palo Alto, California, have already adopted one child, a little girl from Vietnam that they have now renamed Sweet Harmony, and now they have recently added a little boy from India named Harminder; but they have decided to call him Kennedy. Kennedy Harminder Ryan Morganstern is now the little boy's name, and they couldn't be more thrilled in getting him.
Kennedy is a beautiful little boy who is slowly getting used to his new family, and also his new home. Everything is still frightfully new to him, and at times, the little boy is overwhelmed to the point of tears; but his new parents are quick to give him a reassuring hug, a reassuring kiss, and to offer him comfort. He may have only been with the family for only about a month now, but already they are starting to spoil him rotten, and they want him to know that he is very well loved and that they are more than thrilled that he is now a part of their family.
Kennedy is a child who was born with suspected neurological and physical deficits, and he was only very recently (last week, in fact) diagnosed with diplegic cerebral palsy in his limbs and suspected brain damage; yet the doctors are hopeful that Kennedy will catch up to his peers once he is assimilated into a therapeutic setting or once he is put into an "early intervention" program for disabled children under the age of five.
Nancy and Ron are understandably upset and concerned about their little boy; and they aren't sure as to how to handle his disabilities; but they know that with the right help and the right support, they will do well with their son. Still, little Kennedy is oblivious to all the worry and fear that his new parents feel; and to him, all the doctor visits are more like a great and new adventure. He is a very good-natured little boy who doesn't speak much (probably due to his being from another country; his English is probably still very limited at best), but Nancy and Ron are hopeful that he will soon catch on and will soon be talking up a blue streak in no time. Right now, Kennedy needs a wheelchair to get by (that and leg braces on his thin little legs), but they are hopeful that he will walk with the aid of either a wheeled walker or Lofstrand (forearm) crutches one day once his therapy sessions have gone into full swing.
Kennedy also has a sister to get used to. He isn't sure as to what to make of the little girl who is a bit younger than he is; but he likes how her straight, soft, jet-black hair feels to his touch, and he likes the brightly colored dresses that she wears, and he likes her eyes which are so different than his round ones. Sweet Harmony's eyes are dark and sparkly, too, just like his are, but they are almond-shaped, and whenever she cries or laughs, they squinch shut. He thinks that the little girl is pretty, and he decides that he likes her. He doesn't know yet that the little girl is his little sister; but he is glad to have a room with another child that he can play with once he gets used to her.
There is also the matter of a huge furry black-and-white monolith of a beast (a dog) that the Morgansterns own, an English sheepdog named "Sparky". The sheer size and immensity of this very furry beast is a bit too much for little Kennedy to take, and the loud, noisy "talk" from the red mouth of this beast is more than enough to want to send poor Kennedy into tears; but his mommy and daddy tell him that "Sparky" is a part of the house, and that he has to get used to him being around. Still, he is amazed at the sight of the little girl with the laughing eyes going up to the beast and giving him hugs; and so somewhere in his subconscious, he decides that whatever this "Monster" or "Beast" is, he must get used to him, too, along with all the other new "things" in his life here in America.
America. So different than the hot, humid, dirty atmosphere of his native India! Yet, America is now Kennedy's new home, and he is now a part of a family that wanted him, even in light of his disabilities. They don't see the little boy's disabilities whenever they look at him: all they see is a shy, quiet, but pleasant-natured little boy with brown skin, wavy, thick black hair, huge black eyes that miss very little, and a grin that could light up the world whenever he smiles. There is so much to get used to, and Kennedy isn't sure as to what to make of all the new and sudden changes in his young life; but in time, he should adapt and fit right in; and soon, he will be acting more like a child of his age and less like a scared, unsure creature in a new and unfamiliar place.
(To be continued.)
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Reviewed by Simon Thurlow
3/31/2004
So enjoyable when you make the next chapters of these stories
Uh oh, just wait till that kid starts to talk, they won't be able to close his mouth, LOL! Despite the disabilities, this kid sounds like a winner already...another enjoyable chapter...Peace thru Words, Ed & rufuz
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