Esakufunda Ku-Andrew

NJENGOBA ngangisemotweni ngiya emsebenzini, ngakuthola kujabulisa ukucabanga ngalokho okwakwenzeke ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ezandulele. Ngangisanda kuba uyise wendodana, umntwana wami wesibili. Namuhla umkami uBetty Jane nomfanyana wethu u-Andrew bazobuyela ekhaya bevela esibhedlela.

Nokho, ngaphambi kokuba bakhishwe, umkami washaya ucingo. Wayezwakala ekhathazekile. Ngaphuthuma khona. Ebingelela wathi: “Kukhona okungahambi kahle!” Sahlala phansi, silindele ukuba udokotela abuye nomeluleki wezezifo zabantwana.

Amazwi okuqala alomeluleki ayeshaqisa. Wathi: “Sicabanga ukuthi indodana yenu ine-Down’s syndrome [izimpawu zokukhubazeka].” Wachaza ukuthi kungenzeka indodana yethu iphazamiseke ngokwengqondo. Cishe konke okunye akuchaza kwakungezwakali. Ingqondo yami eshaqekile yayingasezwa lutho. Kodwa ngangilokhu ngithé njo kuyena.

Waphakamisa u-Andrew wayesedonsela ukunakekela kwethu kwenye yezinto ezazimqaphelise iqiniso lokuthi kukhona okwakungahambi kahle. Ikhanda lomntwana lalintenga kakhulu. Lobu buthakathaka bezicubu babuyisici esiphawula izinsana ezine-Down’s syndrome. Ngokulandelayo lapho sixoxa nalomeluleki, sambuza imibuzo eminingi eyayisezingqondweni zethu njengoba kancane kancane ikhono lethu lokuqonda lalibuya. Wayezokhubazeka kangakanani? Yini esasingayilindela? Kungakanani esasingamfundisa khona? Wayezoba nekhono lokufunda kangakanani? Wachaza ukuthi izimpendulo zemibuzo yethu eminingi zaziyoxhomeka endaweni ayophila kuyo nasemakhonweni akhe angokwemvelo.

Eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-20 kusukela ngaleso sikhathi, siye sazama ukunikeza u-Andrew uthando olumfanele nokumfundisa konke esikwazi ukukudlulisela kuye. Kodwa lapho sibheka emuva, siyaqaphela manje ukuthi bekungekhona nje ukupha kuphela.

Iseluleko Esinengqondo

Ngaphambi kokuba sikwazi ukuzivumelanisa nokuba khona kuka-Andrew, abangane abanothando basinikeza iseluleko ababesizuze ngokubekezelela ukuvivinywa kwabo siqu. Babenezinhloso ezinhle, kodwa njengoba kungase kulindeleke, akusona sonke iseluleko esasinokuhlakanipha noma esasisiza. Nokho, ngemva kweminyaka eminingi yovivinyo, iseluleko sabo sabonakala siwukuhlakanipha ngezindlela ezimbili.

Abanye babezama ukusiduduza ngokuthi u-Andrew wayengaphazamisekile ngempela ngengqondo. Kodwa-ke umngane wethu omdala wasiyala: “Ningalwisani nakho! Lapho nikwamukela ngokushesha ukulinganiselwa kwakhe, kulapho niyokulungisa khona ngokushesha enikulindele futhi niqale ukusebenzelana naye ngendlela angayo.”

Leso kwakuyisifundo esibaluleke kakhulu esasifunda ngokubhekana nesimo esinzima. Ayikho indlela yokululama uma isimo singakamukelwa. Nakuba ngokuvamile ukungasamukeli isimo kungokwemvelo, lapho kubelesela, kulapho sikuhlehlisa khona ukusamukela, nokusebenzelana nokulinganiselwa okulethwa ‘izimo ezingalindelekile ezifikela bonke abantu.’—UmShumayeli 9:11, qhathanisa ne-NW.

Phakathi neminyaka, lapho siye sahlangana nabazali abanezingane ezazingakwazi ukufunda esikoleni esivamile noma ezazisesikoleni sokwelashwa, ngokuvamile siye sazibuza ukuthi zingaki kulezi zingane okungenzeka ngempela ukuthi ziphazamisekile ngokwengqondo noma zikhubazekile ngandlela-thile. Kwakungenzeka yini ukuthi ezinye zaziphakathi kwalezo “ezikhubazeke ngokungabonakali”—lezo, njengo-Andrew, ezingahlukile ngokomzimba futhi ezibukeka njengezingane ezivamile. Abantu abane-Down’s syndrome babonakala kalula. Kodwa okunye ukukhubazeka akunazo izimpawu ezisobala. Bangaki abazali abanamathela emathembeni angekho futhi benqabe ukwamukela ukulinganiselwa komntwana wabo, okubangela ukuthukuthela kubo bonke?—Qhathanisa nabaseKolose 3:21.

Iseluleko sesibili esaqinisekiswa okuhlangenwe nakho kwethu yilesi: Ngokuyinhloko YININA eninquma indlela abantu abaningi abaphatha ngayo umntwana wenu. Indlela enimphatha ngayo cishe kuyoba indlela nabanye abayomphatha ngayo.

Isimo sengqondo sabantu siye sashintsha kakhulu ngabantu abakhubazekile ngokomzimba nangokwengqondo kulamashumi eminyaka ambalwa edlule. Kodwa eziningi zalezi zinguquko ziye zabangelwa abanye abantu abakhubazekile ngokwabo, izihlobo zabo, nabanye abasekeli abavamile nabangochwepheshe. Abazali abaningi ngesibindi baye basishaya indiva iseluleko sokuba bathumele abantwana babo ezikhungweni ezikhethekile futhi empeleni baye bashintsha imibono evamile. Eminyakeni engu-50 edlule izincwadi eziningi zezokwelapha eziphathelene ne-Down’s syndrome zazisekelwe ekwazisweni okuqoqwe ezinhlanganweni. Namuhla okulindelwe kuye kwashintsha ngokuphelele, ngokuvamile ngenxa yokuthi abazali nabanye bathatha izinyathelo ezihlukile.

Ukufunda Ukuba Nesihawu

Kuyamangalisa ukuthi kulula kangakanani ukuzikhohlisa ngokucabanga ukuthi sinesihawu ngempela. Kodwa kuze kube yilapho sesihileleke ngokomuntu siqu, ngokuvamile singase singaziqondi ngokugcwele izinkinga eziningi.

Isimo sika-Andrew siye sasiphoqelela ukuba siqaphele ukuthi abantu abakhubazekile abakwazi ukulawula isimo sabo. Eqinisweni, siye sasenza ukuba sibhekane nalombuzo, Siyini ngempela isimo sami sengqondo ngababuthakathaka, abangasheshi, nasebekhulile?

Kaningi siye sazithola sisendaweni yomphakathi no-Andrew sihlangana nabantu esingabazi abeza kithi futhi bahlanganyele nathi izinkinga zabo zangasese, ngenxa yokuqaphela ukumamukela kwethu ngaphandle kwamahloni njengelungu eliphelele lomkhaya wethu. Kwakunjengokungathi ukuba khona kuka-Andrew kwakubaqinisekisa ukuthi singazwelana nabo ezinkingeni zabo.

Amandla Othando

Isifundo esibaluleke kunazo zonke u-Andrew aye wasifundisa sona ukuthi uthando alusona nje isimo solwazi. Ake ngichaze. Esinye sezisekelo zokukhulekela kwethu njengoFakazi BakaJehova siwukuthi ubuKristu beqiniso busibekela ukuhlukana nobandlululo lobuhlanga, lwezenhlalo, nolwezombangazwe. Njengoba siqiniseka ngalesi simiso, sasazi ukuthi abafowethu nodadewethu abangokomoya babeyomamukela u-Andrew. Sisishaya indiva iseluleko sochwepheshe ababethi kwakungenangqondo ukulindela ukuba ahlale ngokuthula emihlanganweni yokukhulekela, selokhu azalwa siye saqikelela ukuthi uya nathi emihlanganweni kanye nasendlini ngendlu emsebenzini wethu wokushumayela. Njengoba kulindelekile, ibandla limphatha ngomusa nangozwela.

Kodwa bakhona abadlulela ngalé kwalokho. Bamthanda ngendlela ekhethekile. Kubonakala sengathi u-Andrew uyakuzwa lokhu ngendlela engenakuphazanyiswa ukulinganiselwa kokuhlakanipha kwakhe. Kulaba bantu uwanqoba kalula amahloni akhe angokwemvelo, futhi uya ngqó kubo ngemva kwemihlangano. Ngokuphindaphindiwe, siye saphawula ikhono lakhe elihlukile lokukwazi ukubona labo abamthanda ngokukhethekile, ngisho nasesixukwini.

Kungokufanayo nangokubonakalisa kwakhe uthando. U-Andrew umnene kakhulu kubantwana, kubantu abakhulile, nasezilwaneni ezifuywayo. Ngezinye izikhathi lapho ngesibindi eya kumntwana wothile esingamazi, sisondela eduze, silungele ukusiza umntwana uma kwenzeka u-Andrew emdlalisa kabi engahlosile. Kodwa yeka ukuthi kaningi siye sazizwa sinamahloni kangakanani ngenxa yokwesaba kwethu lapho simbuka ethinta umntwana ngobumnene njengomzanyana!

Izifundo Esiye Sazithola

Ngenxa yokuthi zonke izingane ezine-Down’s syndrome ziyafana ngokubukeka, sasilindele ukuthi zonke zaziyoba nobuntu obufanayo. Nokho, ngokushesha safunda ukuthi zifuze umkhaya wakubo kunokuba zifane. Ngayinye inobuntu obuhlukile.

U-Andrew, njengezinye izingane eziningi, akawuthandi umsebenzi onzima. Kodwa sathola ukuthi uma sibe nesineke nokukhuthazela simenzise umsebenzi ngokuphindaphindiwe uze ube umkhuba, wayengabe esawuthatha njengomsebenzi. Imisebenzi yakhe yasekhaya isiyazenzakalela, futhi imisebenzi eyengeziwe kuphela ayibheka njengomsebenzi.

Njengoba sibheka emuva ezifundweni esiye sazifunda ekuphileni kuka-Andrew, kuvela indida ethakazelisayo. Cishe zonke izimiso esazifunda ekukhuliseni u-Andrew zabonakala zisebenza ngendlela efanayo ebuhlotsheni bethu nabanye abantwana bethu kanye nabantu bebonke.

Ngokwesibonelo, ubani kithina ongalwamukeli uthando lwangempela? Uma wake waqhathaniswa ngokungafanele nothile onamakhono noma okuhlangenwe nakho okuhluke kakhulu kokwakho, awuzange yini uthole lokho kungenabulungisa futhi kukhungathekisa? Ekugcineni, akubanga yini iqiniso kwabaningi bethu ukuthi imisebenzi esasingayithandi ekuqaleni ekugcineni yayibekezeleleka, futhi yanelisa, lapho sizimisele ukunamathela kuyo?

Nakuba siye sakhononda kakhulu ngo-Andrew ngenxa yokushiyeka kwethu kobuntu, siye futhi sathola injabulo, encane nenkulu. Futhi sithola ukuthi ezicini ezingahlobene neze no-Andrew, siye sathuthuka ngenxa yakhe. Safunda ukuthi noma ikuphi okuhlangenwe nakho ekuphileni, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kuvivinya kangakanani, kungasilolonga sibe abantu abangcono kunokuba sibe abantu abanonya.

Kukhona okunye okubaluleke kakhulu kithi. Sithola injabulo enkulu ngokulindela isikhathi esijabulisayo lapho siyobona ukuqedwa kokukhubazeka kuka-Andrew. IBhayibheli lithembisa ukuthi ngokushesha ezweni elisha likaNkulunkulu lokulunga, zonke izimpumputhe, izithulu, izinyonga, nezimungulu ziyobuyiselwa empilweni yobungqabavu. (Isaya 35:5, 6; Mathewu 15:30, 31) Cabanga ngenjabulo bonke abayoba nayo ngaleso sikhathi lapho bebona mathupha ukuphulukiswa kwengqondo nomzimba njengoba isintu sizuza ubungqabavu baso obuphelele! (IHubo 37:11, 29)—Inikelwe.

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 12]

Amazinga Okukhubazeka

Abanye ochwepheshe bahlukanisa abantu abane-Down’s syndrome ngamaqembu amathathu. (1) Abafundisekayo (Abakahle): labo abangazuza amakhono emfundo aphawulekayo. Leli qembu lihlanganisa abanye abaye baba abadlali bamabhayisikobho noma ngisho nabafundisi. Abanye baye bakwazi ukuzimela ekuphileni bethola nje ukunakekelwa okuncane. (2) Abaqeqeshekayo (Abasesilinganisweni): labo abakwaziyo ukufunda amakhono athile awusizo. Nakuba bengase bafundiswe ukuzinakekela ngokwezinga elithile, kudingeka banakekelwe ngokwengeziwe. (3) Ababucayi (Abagula Kakhulu): iqembu elingenakukwazi ukwenza izinto ezithile, okudingeka linakekelwe kakhulu.

Kuthiwani ngo-Andrew? Manje sesiyazi ukuthi ungaphansi kwesigaba okuthiwa “Abaqeqeshekayo.”