We hear so much about how the world is a terrible place. People are heartless. So many tragic things happen. But there are actually some pretty amazing people out there. I believe that there is more goodness in this world. And I just wanted to reflect back on some really great things that people have done for my family.
One of the first things that pops into my mind, happened five years ago. We were in a very crowded line, waiting to get inside Magic Kingdom in Disney World. At the time, Noah was in the grips of anxiety. This was a hard time for us all. We prepared him for this trip, had a schedule to keep our park time to a minimum, and carried along things to distract him. But in this crowd, he got anxious. We put on his noise canceling headphones, gave him a tight hug and tried to sooth him. I knew once we got moving, he would be ok, but it was still hard to watch. And after months of this, I was fighting back tears. Finally, they opened the park up, and Noah calmed down. As we were walking down Main Street, I still had that pang of doubt. Was I pushing him too far? With that gorgeous castle ahead of us, a woman tapped me on the shoulder. "I just want you to know you are doing a great job!" I almost started bawling right there. That little bit of reassurance from a total stranger, meant the world to me. I have told this story several times, because it had such a huge impact on me, in probably one of the most difficult periods of my life. I hope that woman knows what a blessing she was to me that day.
Over the years, my kids have been blessed with amazing teachers, para's, occupational and speech therapists. I can safely say that every one of them has made a difference in my boys lives. They are better, having been under their care. They have a challenging job. It is not easy to work in a special ed classroom. I can only imagine how exhausting it must be. And lets be honest. They are probably kicked, punched, bit, and slapped by students quite frequently. God bless those educators, who do so much for these kids. They don't love our kids on that first day that they meet. The kids come into their care as total strangers. But these women (and men) jump right in and move mountains for the kids in their class. I'm in awe of what they do.
My oldest is in high school. A group of general ed peers come in to help out in his class. This class wouldn't run without the time that these gen ed kids put in there every day. They really act as peer tutors, both academically and socially. On a certain day of the week, high school students start one hour late. Except for the special ed kids, who start at their regular time. On one particular late start day, the gen ed peers took it upon themselves to come in early and throw a dance party for the special ed class. They are teens. They could have been sleeping in, but they chose to do something fun for my son's class. I mean, come on. That's pretty awesome!
There is a local church that does a parent night out event for special needs families. Several times a year, over 200 hundred volunteers, selflessly give their time, so that parents can feel that they have a safe place to leave their children for a few hours. Those 3 hours give Alex and I to reconnect, and focus on each other. While we are out having dinner and a movie, we have piece of mind knowing that our kids are in a safe place, having a great time. What a great ministry! They take any special needs family, whether they attend church or not. And they do this out of the kindness of their hearts!
My last little act of kindness happened today. First of all, know that this city is out of their minds over our baseball team being in the MLB playoffs. We are so proud of our team! I ran in to CVS just to grab something before I headed into work. I waited in line behind a couple of women. They were paying for a bunch of baseball team decorations.They were talking to the cashier, explaining how excited their kids were about the game. When they walked away, the cashier told me that the ladies bought all the things to decorate their school bus as a surprise to the students. As I walked out the door, I saw the ladies getting their bus all decorated. And it was a special needs bus, which just made me cry right in the parking lot. I'm such a sap. I could just picture the excitement of these kids when they saw their bus coming. I love people!
So, have you done anything lately to brighten the day of someone? It really doesn't take much. A kind word, giving a helping hand. Even a simple smile. Commit to doing one simple act of kindness this week. Then do the same next week. And so on. Life is good, friends. Life is good.
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