2004 Get the WORD Out! Contest Entry: Ages 14-18

Ashley MacLean, 16

The Song of my Heart

Tolerance, Acceptance, Respect;
Those are the words my heart sings.
Each has its own meaning, story, and time.
I'll tell you the story, meaning, and maybe even the time.

Tolerance,
Now what does that mean?
To me it means taking others for who they are,
not making fun of people if they are different,
and learning to work with others when
everyone has different abilities.
I have seen tolerance in many people.
All my friends tolerate my seizures and
help me when I need it.
My friends take me for who I am.
The time for tolerance is every minute of your waking day.

Acceptance,
What does that mean?
To me and to others it means liking people,
even when they are different.
It means seeing, in others, unique abilities
that can be used where yours cannot.
It means not hurting someone's feelings
just because they are different.
We are all different, no matter what.
I have noticed acceptance in many students.
When I told my friends about my seizures,
they did not kick me out, because I am different,
but instead they asked questions about seizures
and what to do if I had one.
They helped me, instead of ignoring me.
The time for acceptance is from when you awaken in the
morning until you lie down on your pillow at night.

Respect,
Now what does that mean?
To me that means you treat others the
way you what to be treated.
It means you show kindness and consideration to other people.
Respect means accepting others for who they are
and working with other people, though they are different from you.
People respect me because I have epilepsy and still go on with my life
as though nothing is going on.
Some people even think I am a hero for that but, who knows.
The time for respect is from when the sun breaks the horizon until
the stars twinkle in the night sky that you can see from your
bedroom window as you lay down to sleep.

As you can tell, these actions are to be done all the time
and they are all linked together.

Tolerance, Acceptance, Respect
Those words are music to my ears.