A lesson on being human ~

This is the first in what I hope will be a series of ‘writings’ about my work/life with the special needs community.  I don’t know that the entries will be chronological or even connected.  I do know that if I’m to write about the interfaith worship services for people with special needs, their families and friends, that I need to start somewhere.  And so, today, I start at a beginning ~

A lesson on being human

My first encounter (that I can remember) with people who move differently through our world was as a young girl volunteering through the girl scouts.  We were going to a state facility for 'the mentally retarded.' Two things remain with me today from what was a very brief portion of my life. 

·        The first is the image of strange looking adults running towards us as we got out of the vehicle.  In the eye of my memory I see this one woman with an uneven bob hair cut, one eye much larger than the other, a strange smile, legs that didn’t move like mine and arms flapping as she came toward me.  With embarrassment and shame I share that I recall being afraid. 

·        The second thing that remains, however, is how I was transformed by that interaction and the short time that followed.  I wish I could recall the name of the young woman who ran to embrace me that day because I owe her gratitude for teaching me all I will ever need to know about being human.  While I don’t recall how we spent all of our time there that day, I can still feel her hand holding mine as we watched a TV program.  Her other hand patting my hand from time to time and she offered me her grin and a smile.  Somewhere along the way, in between pats on the hands or being pulled to see this or that we became two people, holding hands, sharing pieces of who we were, learning about one another and enjoying life, together. 

I could study all of my life and write and preach and blog and ask questions and provide answers and footnote long research papers and never learn as much as I did in that small slice of my life.  You can’t teach the gift of a sincere smile.  You can’t teach the importance of touch.  You can’t teach the importance of being known and the gift of knowing others.  You just can’t teach what it is to be human.  And to know that lesson to the bone, is to never be able to look upon another human being and see that person as anything less than human.  On that day, I was changed forever.  Lesson upon lesson certainly follow and always await.  But for that day, I am eternally grateful.