“Smiley”

  "Smiley"

     Fourteen years ago, as my father entered the gates of heaven, I made a promise to God that I would do whatever He asked of me.  At times those requests have been challenging and He asked things of me that I never dreamed of doing.  I am so grateful for the changes in my life and heart since then.  

     This week God asked me to do something I didn’t feel prepared for.  The first day I dug my heals in and really questioned God.  The next day I reminded myself of all the things God has asked me to do over the last fourteen years and the blessings that have resulted.  Today, I am excited about all of the possibilities!

    In 2008 God prompted me to start teaching children about abilities and disabilities.  We first learned about our own and then it was easier to be understanding of someone else’s.  I put together a month long unit on disabilities.  I explained disabilities, talked about accommodations, shared how to be polite, let my students experience disabilities, and I introduced them to amazing people affected by them.  During the month I had my teaching assistant by my side.  She gave me confidence and she helped me break down misconceptions the children  might have.

     My assistant, “Smiley,” came into my life about six years ago.  In previous years I had borrowed a wheelchair from a relative to use with my students.  It was large and cumbersome so I started praying one summer that God would bring me a child’s wheelchair.  I had a number of connections that would be able to provide me with one, but I wanted to know that it came from God and I wasn’t using a chair that needed to go to a child instead.  I quietly prayed for a month and waited to see what God might do.

    Then one day I heard a knock on my classroom door.  My students were gathered around me in “Circle Time.”  Our copier repair man opened the door and said, “I hear you might want a child’s wheelchair.  I have one for you.”

     I started to cry.  I was overwhelmed by how God chose to bless me.  My little buddy even had a smiley face.  I shared my prayer request with my students and they all named my new teaching assistant, “Smiley.”

     Over the years, with 100+ students, Smiley has taught about disabilities and has broken down some walls.  A wheelchair is no longer scary because they have popped wheelies and raced down the hall to the lunchroom in a wheelchair.  When it was time to start our fundraising efforts for Joni and Friends, the kids understood the value of mobility and were so excited to raise money and collect wheelchairs.

     At the end of my unit on disabilities, in my last year of teaching, my students told me that I needed to donate the wheelchair but I wasn’t ready and wanted to use it for some speaking engagements.  God has told me it is time now.

     I will miss my little buddy but I am excited about the child that will receive it.  May Smiley bring joy to a little boy or girl and take him/her on many exciting adventures.  I hope God lets me hear the story of where my chair ends up.  I will miss you, Smiley!

Are You Listening?

Many times in my adult life I have had people tell me that I am a really good listener.  At times I have been and I am certainly a better listener in my 50's than I was in my 20's.

I have many regrets in my life when it comes to listening.  There are times I should have been more attentive to my husband telling me how his day was.  I should have listened more to my children as they were going through the teen years instead of worrying about being the perfect parent and keeping my attention there.  I should have been a better listener when I met new people, especially people that have lived a different life than I have.

A few years ago I started thinking about how to be a better listener and it has changed my life and my perspective on people.  I want to consider myself inclusive, but I am constantly reminded of the walls I still build up.  So I challenge myself periodically.  I challenge myself to find someone I don't understand and just sit down and listen to their journey.

Over the last few years I have been blessed by the company of a variety of people and the more I listened to their story, the more I see what we have in common.  The more I listened to their heart, the more my heart changed.

Over the last few years:

• I have visited with a young man affected by schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. 
• I have played with a child with autism.
• I have asked a concentration camp survivor to share her story with me.
• I have spent an afternoon with a young man living with a traumatic brain injury.
• I have had a lovely conversation with someone that speaks a different language than I do.
• I have listened to the perspectives of a democrat.
• I have listened to the perspectives of a republican.
• I have asked for advice from a child.
• I have asked someone that uses a wheelchair what are the most hurtful things people do as they interact with him.
• I have bought a meal for a stranger and asked them to tell me their story.

When we listen to others, the barriers are erased.  When we listen to someone else's story, they become a real person with real hurts and feelings.  When we listen, we change ourselves.

Who are you going to listen to this week?

Emotional Pile-up

Wow... it is a rather emotional day.  It is my first day completely alone in a long time.  I woke up with great ambition to get caught up on my life:  laundry, filing, paying bills, straightening up, running errands.  Not only had the laundry and paperwork piled up, but so had the emotions.

Sunday was a beautiful day.  My sweet daughter got married out on a farm where there is no pretense, only love.  God provided the decor.  Just as Jesus' birth was surrounded by animals, their lovely wedding was too.  The horse, the donkey, and all of the goats and chickens seemed to join in the fun.

My mom was on the verge of being hospitalized but we didn't quite know it.  She was doing what she loves the most in life during the wedding: being with family, sharing her faith in Christ, and joining two people in holy matrimony.  She went to the hospital two days later, but with a smile on her face.  She was able to be there for her granddaughter and is now recovering well.

I loved watching my sweet grandchildren take part in the ceremony and run and play afterwards among the goats.  They have been such an incredible blessing in my life.

When you watch your children get married, you tend to reminisce about your own wedding.  Bill and I married 31 years ago and it was beautiful.  My sweet granddaughter gently reminded Bill and I that we need to step up our game, however.  She said we need to kiss more, color together, and play a few video games. So I will try to fill the echoing sounds of an empty house with more joy and laughter so the next 31 years are just as fun.

Tomorrow I will get back to dreaming and looking for God's direction, but today I am going to thank God for every moment of the past.

Absolutely

I had an interesting conversation with a good friend tonight.  We caught each other up on what is going on in our lives and then we talked about the past.  He said, "I don't mean to offend you by saying this.  You have always been loving, but some of the hard things that have happened to you have made you even more loving."  I absolutely agreed with him.

There have been people groups that I haven't really understood and, consequently, haven't loved them the way I should have...until I walked with them.  There have been times in my life that I could not see God's purpose and questioned Him...until I looked back at what He accomplished.  There have been times that I felt I had nothing to offer the world...until I trusted Him.

Tomorrow reach out to someone walking a different path than you are and love them.  Tomorrow look for what God is accomplishing and be part of it.  Tomorrow surrender to God and walk with Him.  Trust that He can use your life, your successes and your failures, and trust Him.