In my journey through life I have met some pretty neat people that have overcome obstacles far greater than I can even imagine myself having to face. Three of the most recent include Jenna, Jamison and James.
I met Jamison at a conference I spoke at. Jamison is in his 20s, is bright, intelligent, has a really great smile, and a positive attitude. He also has MS, has little control over his limbs and is bound to a wheelchair. We had some good conversation during lunch and I was reminded how powerful the human spirit is.
Jenna is in the 4th grade. I met Jenna about a month ago when she came to our Children’s group at church. She is fun to be around and just like most of us, is looking for acceptance in this sometimes crazy world. Jenna is nearly 100% blind and has hearing aids to help her hear. She obviously has had to compensate for her physical disabilities and she is sometimes hard to understand. She also needs help because of her visual limitations. Despite these limitations, she is a fun kid who I enjoy being around. Believe it or not, she has great leadership skills in that she tries to take charge of the class and make them “tow the line”… it just irritates her when some of the other kids won’t pay attention or listen to directions. Jenna is awesome.
I met James only once. I was getting a propane tank at the local market, and James was helping me swap my empty tank for a new one. He is a nice kid… probably around 20 years old. When I first saw him, I thought he may have Down’s syndrome… but I wasn’t sure. He was very helpful, courteous and friendly. While we were swapping the cannisters around, James told me that he was so happy to be working at the market and that he was glad to be finished with school. Being naive, I joked around and asked him why he didn’t like to study. He told me that it wasn’t the studying that bothered him. It was getting beat up. He would go to school (this is an area known for its great schools), and get beat up all the time. Elementary, Middle and High School. I can’t imagine having to go through life that way, just because I was different. James reminded me of how important it is to protect those less fortunate than us.
Perspective. My life is great.
Perspective. I am humbled by what others have to go through.
Perspective. I am thankful and will stop complaining about my little challenges.
All the Best!
All the Time!
JT