Hellos are so much fun, goodbyes are impossible.
Last September our family grew by one . One remarkable young man. Olivia met Jorge at Festival Ballet Providence during their Summer Intensive Program in July and he was offered a contract as a Trainee in the Company. He was 18 and adorable and needed a place to stay as he is originally from Philadelphia. He and Liv were already inseparable and , well she can usually persuade me into just about anything, so Jorge became our Plus1 (as we affectionately referred to him).
I remember meeting him for the first time after the Summer performance and praying that when he met Emmie he wouldn't back away, or feel uncomfortable. I know that sounds silly for most but if you have a child with Down syndrome or any disability, you know what I mean.
Anyway, he melted my heart when he immediately reached out to her, addressing her as "boo".. Dear God he called her boo! I loved him from that moment on. And so did she!
He blended perfectly and effortlessly into our home and our lives.
Jorge brought so much into our lives. I mean, I thought we were the ones helping him out but in all reality we benefited so much more from having him with us.
Some of the perks of having an amazingly talented dancer/choreographer/all around super person living with you.
1. Your daughter will have an amazing piece choreographed for her for Grand Prix.
2. Your little one will be taught how to properly twerk. That was a questionable perk at first but after watching the two of them during a "lesson" I was sold. Twerk away!
3. We are all better trained in how to defend ourselves. One quick, clean shot to the throat should give you enough time to run away should you be attacked. Thank you Jorge, Emmie is the best at this but better not take it to school!
4. We were turned on to new "quality " TV shows like Love &and Hip Hop. One day when everyone was out I sneaked a peek. Morbid curiosity got the best of me.
5. When the girls stress me to the point of not being able to breath, Jorge is the one to walk me through the chest pains. "Breathe Mama, breathe" ...he would say.
6. I knew he would watch out for the girls. I always wished they had a big brother.
7.Andrew finally had another boy in the house! Being the only brother with 4 sisters at home is beyond difficult.
8. Bella my "punk" finally had a soul mate. They were the same person, I swear! And he even made Sophie laugh.. no easy feat.
9.His laughter was contagious! Anyone who has heard the boy laugh knows exactly what I mean. What a freaking laugh!
10. You got Happy Birthday sung to you in Spanish. Jorge, Sophia's birthday is next!! You better call her and sing to her!!!
11. He made us happy.
The best times were just hanging out at night on those rare occasions when everyone was under one roof at the same time. No idea why, but it always led to dancing..
Sweet boy, you will always have a family and a home in Rhode Island. I know your talents will take you far. So much awaits you. There is no doubt in my mind you will find success in what you love to do. I can't wait to see where life takes you.
See you soon,
Love , Mama
To read more about Jorge the dancer you can go this blog,Setting the Barre, Kirsten is also a dancer at Festival and wrote a beautiful post about Jorge from the dancer perspective. Kirsten also has a link to the piece he choreographed for Olivia.
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