It was a moment when the craziness stopped.
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There was no election, no deadline, no pressing story - just a young man, who lives with disability, his arm around me and staring at the photo I had just taken with absolute joy.
Laughing, enjoying himself he couldn’t wait to share the photo with a friend.
Daniel is one of three brothers who have all been visiting Pearls Place for lunch on a regular basis.
There is no doubt they enjoy it, in fact their thumbs up and big beaming smiles were evidence of what a simple shared meal in a cafe-type environment has meant to them.
For the volunteers at Pearls Place it has been a wonderful experience too as they have watched the young men become a part of the Pearls Place lunchtime diners.
It does your heart good indeed to see the joy friendship and inclusion can bring.
But as much as it is great for the three brothers, there are others who receive as great a benefit - and that is all of us.
When you mix at close quarters with people of all abilities you learn about acceptance, tolerance and the importance of inclusion.
Carers will speak about the issues of taking some of their clients to a “normal” cafe or restaurant, the difficulties and the fact that people will stare.
What this can mean is a vital chance to teach social skills might be missed but more importantly a chance to educate the broader community is missed as well.
These people didn’t ask for the challenges they face everyday. They have just as much right to enjoy all that we do and the more we make it harder for them to be part of our every day lives, the more we hark back to an era long gone.
As vice president of Pearls Place Gail Eivers commented, “it’s amazing how a place like this brings people together”.
President of Pearls Place Louise Maude said the three brothers have become regular visitors to Pearls Place with their support staff and added that "seeing the joy that some of those guests display while at Pearls, it does the heart good".
We can only wholeheartedly agree.
Once again the social cafe can only be congratulated for the work it does in bringing people together, breaking down barriers that should not exist and for doing it in such a caring and positive way.
