Little Drops of Heaven

“Emily’s life, with all its imperfections, had great meaning. Because of how many people she touched, I realize that we are far more than what we can accomplish. We are the very thumbprints of God.”

        – Matt Patterson

It is the end of a beautiful summer day in southeast Wisconsin, and I am driving home from my first day of work at Matthias Academy, a non-profit day program for adults with special needs. I have come 800 miles from home for this work opportunity. An old song, “Little Drops of Heaven,” by Pretty Maids, comes on. I know the song, but it has never hit me quite like it does today.

I am an occupational therapy assistant student from upstate New York. The opportunity to spend my summer in Bristol, Wisconsin is invaluable because it’s happening at the most amazing facility anyone could ever wish to work in. Founded in 2020, Matthias Academy is a day program serving adults from Illinois and Wisconsin with mild to severe disabilities, specialized medical needs, and a range of behavioral and spectrum-related issues. Matthias offers an array of “endless opportunities for extraordinary adults,” all of which are wholesome, educational, and endlessly fun.

Every day at Matthias is filled with smiles, laughter, energy, positivity, effort, and teamwork. Typical class outings include visiting zoos, trips to local pools, hikes in nearby parks, baseball games, and more. On other days classes take time to enjoy the little things: blowing bubbles, drawing with sidewalk chalk on the pavement, playing games of UNO in the sun, or mixing up elephant toothpaste. I was astounded by the services provided by Matthias, but I also discovered that Wisconsin kindness and hospitality is second to none, as evidenced by the staff and administrative team, and the clients I get to spend my days with. (Listen up New York!)

You may be wondering, why Wisconsin? How did a kid from upstate NY end up with a summer job in the Frozen Tundra, home of the revered Green Bay Packers? Matthias, settling for nothing but the best quality, uses many Rifton products, including Trikes, Pacers, the Rifton TRAM, Mobile and Supine Standers, the Compass Chair, and the Hygiene & Toileting System (HTS). I grew up close to one of the three Rifton factories in the northeast, and both of my incredibly talented parents worked for the company, my mother in sales and my dad in design and manufacturing. I heard about Matthias through the Rifton sales department, and I will forever be grateful for this lifechanging connection and experience.

It is gratifying and rewarding to see the Rifton line in action, how days can be brightened, participation gained, obstacles overcome, and goals met with these efficacious and transformative products. This is what I get to observe and participate in daily: a student in a stander shooting hoops; an energetic young man, giddy with delight, cruising at precarious speed around a gymnasium on a trike; a young woman with a severely spastic gait walking confidently down a hall with the help of the Pacer. These moments are special for me, and I can’t help a few tears of joy every now and then, humbled that I and my family can be part of the Rifton community that helps serve these students who deserve nothing but the very best every day.

If a bad day comes my way, if I find myself missing friends back home or am blinded by some darkness, these students are my drops of heaven. They are the love, light, and hope in a world so dominated by self-centered negativity and materialism that it seldom provides adequately for this population. Their innocent (or should I say mischievous) smiles radiate infectious joy every day, and although Matthias staff members are here to provide everything these students need, it is very much a two-way street: The students are here for us too.

The Matthias students have given me strength and changed my life. Yvonne Pierre wrote, “When you focus on someone’s disability you’ll overlook their abilities, beauty and uniqueness. Once you learn to accept and love them for who they are, you subconsciously learn to love yourself unconditionally.” I’ve witnessed the nonjudgemental joy that my coworkers radiate to everyone they meet. I know now where that originates, where they got their empathy, optimism and generosity. And I’ve grown and learned to grant myself just a little more grace when self-loathing or doubt threatens to crowd out the positive and giving side of my nature.

There is without doubt a transforming power in this love here at Matthias which comes from a higher place. I believe these drops of heaven have come down to teach us about that love and that power. I will never forget these special students and will forever hold them close, treasure, remember, and love them. They have taught me so much about staying strong and shining light and love despite hardships, living the best life, playing whatever hand I’m dealt, smiling through pain, choosing laughter over tears, and learning to dance in the rain. These students have become my drops of heaven and always will be.