A "Moving" Moment

This past weekend we took a family trip to Austin to see the Imagination Movers in concert!  Just in case you don't have kids under the age of 5, let me explain who the Movers are.  We found the Movers through their show on Disney about 3 years ago.  They are a group of 4 friends who solve Imagination emergencies through humor and really catchy songs.

Our kids LOVE their music, they LOVE their TV show, and they seriously LOVE seeing them in concert!  Bryan and I love them for all of the reason too, and also because the Movers are a national partner of the Buddy Walk!  Buddy Walks are fundraising walks held all over the country to raise money and awareness for people with Down Syndrome.

This was our second trip to  Movers concert, the first one was about a year and a half ago in Kansas City, but this time was Bryan's first time!  It was a little hard to tell who was more excited to be there, the kids or Bryan.

Before the concert began a local Down Syndrome Group and 3 of its members came up on the stage to promote their upcoming Buddy Walk.  Rory noticed and said "Hey, they have Down Syndrome just like Bubba!" and then she was one of the loudest cheerers in the theater!  With that, the lights came up and the Movers took the stage!

During the concert all of the Movers are out and interacting with the crowd, singing and dancing, they are so great!  At one point, one of the Movers "Smitty" made it down the aisle to the end of the row and all 3 kids were there to great him and high 5 him!

Rory got her high 5, and then Jack, and then Brendan..

It was truly a special moment, and Brendan was so thrilled!

After an hour and 15 minutes of non stop singing and dancing it was time to say goodbye to the Movers and head on home.

During the car ride Bryan and I relived the concert, how great it was that Smitty took that extra second to make sure that each child got their moment.  I know how it made me feel to see it, and by looking at the kids expressions I knew how it made them feel.  What I didn't know is how truly special it was for Bryan to see it.

The following day this is what he posted on the Movers Facebook page..

"Great show by the Movers in Austin yesterday…. a lot of memories created. A special thanks to “Smitty” for one high-five he gave to an awestruck four old boy. “Smitty’s” high-five included a moment where he made it clear to our son and his parents that he saw this little boy like every other kid there and not just a boy with Down syndrome. How you really see people takes a moment and “Smitty” and the Movers are the real deal. Thank you."

I asked him about it that night and he said "In a half a second you can tell if someone is looking at Brendan with pity or looking at him as just another 4 year child.  Smitty looked at him as a 4 year old, not just a kid with Down Syndrome."

How very very very true.