"No Thank You, I'd Rather Be Me!"

     Today, as I drove in to work, I asked myself what it really means to be normal.  I quickly came to the conclusion that each one of us is perfectly normal!  So why all the fuss about trying to fit in and be like other people?  What if people were loved and accepted for who they are, just as they are?  How different would our world be?
     I allowed my thoughts to wander a bit and I ended up in a place where even people with disabilities were accepted by others unconditionally.  I saw a classroom filled with children.  One little girl was seated near the window of the classroom.  My gaze fixed on her as she fidgeted and squirmed in her seat. Then, for just a few minutes, she stared blankly out of the window at the most beautiful butterfly I'd ever seen!  At that moment, the teacher asked the little girl to answer a question about the lesson.  "I'm sorry, but I didn't hear the question.  I was watching a butterfly outside our classroom window.  Could you repeat it for me?"  The teacher, very familiar with the little girl's tendency to lose focus, simply said.  "Would you mind if we asked you a few questions about the lovely butterfly that you saw?  I'm sure the class would love to take a short break and hear all about it!".  The teacher, you see, realized that the little girl's behavior was, in fact, normal for her.  Instead of embarrassing or scolding her, she seized the opportunity to boost the little girl's confidence.
     "Normal" isn't the same for any two people because we are are wonderfully unique beings.  I realize that  we cannot coexist without some limitation on our self-expression, but I do believe that we would all do well to lighten up a bit and learn to meet people half way on some things!  One of the most unselfish attitudes that you can have is a willingness to put your own terms and agenda on hold while you make a sincere attempt to understand and adapt to the needs or behavior of another human being.
     Children who are differently-abled deserve the same opportunities that everyone else has to express themselves and share their gift(s) with the world.  So the next time you encounter someone with abilities that are different from your own, don't be so quick to assume that they have nothing to offer you.  Don't smother their zeal and zest for life with an over sized pillow of your own agendas!
      Listen, watch and learn.  Everyone has a story to tell and a gift to share!

Be Not Entangled!

Catchy post title, but so much easier said than done!  It is hard not to get caught up, tangled up or tripped up by the circumstances that come our way, but God's word seems to suggest that there is a way to do exactly that!  Admittedly, I'm not always that good at steering clear of problems and other situations that seem to warrant my attention.  A researcher by nature, few things make me happier than researching a problem - tracking it down until it has nowhere to hide, and then constructing a plan of action to address it based on my findings.  This may seem a bit "nerdy" to some, but to each his own, right?  I'm beginning to realize, however, that jumping head first into research without first asking God to guide me, is a colossal waste of my time and my energy.
The needs of our children can propel us to try to perform unbelievable feats of bravery, martyrdom and just plain old stupidity!  I'm laughing at myself this time, folks because I have done some pretty crazy things - all in the name of meeting a need for my children.  What does it look and feel like to be entangled?  For me, sleepless night filled with worry, feelings or fear and anxiety were just some of the ways that I'd allowed life's web of circumstances to hold me hostage.   Ever see a fly or an insect get stuck in a spider's web?  All of the twisting, turning and squirming in the world is usually not enough to free them from the spider's sticky trap.  I don't want to be like those insects.  From now on, I'll pray first, research some and try not to worry at all!  Entanglement can only come when I stand in the web long enough for it to engulf me.  So, I'll be quick on my feet and even quicker to get on my knees.
Right now, we are believing for the money to send my daughter to an alternative school this fall.  The cost of tuition is an astronomical $25,000/year!  Yowza!!!  I have to say that this one was a no brainer for me.  I wasted NO time and energy trying to figure out how to come up with $25,000 because I knew that there was no way that we could do it.  So I'm resting now.  Resting in the peace that God knows exactly which school my daughter needs to enroll in this fall, and the fact that His provision in her life has been nothing short of miraculous thus far!

Disentangling now...stand by...