When I was asked by the lovely Alison Burke if my daughters would like to participate in a fashion show, I said yes immediately. If you have ever met either of my girls, the idea of getting dressed up in fancy clothes, having their hair and makeup done, prancing around on a catwalk and hanging out with models is nothing short of a dream come true. Some kids want to go to Disneyland. My kids want to be famous.

So, honestly, had it been a fashion show as a fundraiser for, say, a local gas station, I might have said yes.

But when I realized it was for Zareinu, there was no question. We were going to be there.

And needless to say, it was an incredibly moving experience.

To hear from a mother whose daughter Rachel—who has Rett Syndrome—walks when they thought she’d never sit up? Humbling.

To watch children with disabilities walk hand-in-hand with children without disabilities? Humbling.

To watch this?

humbling.

To sit in the car on the way home and talk to my kids about how amazing Zareinu is, how it really is a magical place that does amazing things for a lot of children and families, and have my six-year-old pipe up from the back seat that “all of the kids were the same, Mommy. I don’t know what you mean, special needs. We are all special, we all look the same, no one was different….”?

This was not only humbling; it had me weeping.

Children are amazing creatures, really.

My daughter didn’t see the things some people do. A different look, a different way of walking, a different way of talking. All of the kids there last night were special to her, they all got to dress up and go on the stage. And that’s all she noticed.

Not the differences, the SAMES.

Photography by George Pimentel, WireImage