Truly Amazing

Epiphany! So I remembered what that truly amazing thing was that I saw the other day.

Background: My house is on a corner of the street next to the junior high school. People frequently use the fields for different things like kite-flying, soccer games, or just going to run around the track. Also, the house directly across from ours is a government-owned group home where mentally handicapped adults are taken care of 24/7. That's really all the background you need.

So I was outside in the yard--helping my grandpa put up holiday lights--when we saw these huge kites flying over the junior high's fields. Passing neighbors let us know that there was a birthday party happening, so they had all kinds of fun stuff.

As I was plugging in a new string and untangling all the icicle strings, I noticed that one of the caretakers across the street was holding the hand of one of my favorite residents of the house. His name is Gabriel, but we often call him Gabe or Gabby. He has Downs Syndrome and we believe he's in his thirties. He had bundled up in his coat and was on his way to see the kites.

Pause. I suppose this epiphany has two parts. Play.

As the two men got to the corner, the caretaker paused and said, "Hold on a minute, Gabe, we have to check the street before crossing, remember? Look left. Right. No cars. Good, okay now we can go."

Epiphany number one: The mentally handicapped people we see every day--at my house anyway--are so much like children. They just need our care and guidance. Because if we don't help them, who will? When I see the residents taken care of, I get this warm feeling just knowing that there's always someone there helping them.

Epiphany number two: Simple thing, crossing the road. As we're older, we don't think twice about looking to make sure there aren't any cars. We just look left, right, left again, and then walk. Why? Because we were taught by our parents and mentors. ALWAYS check the road. Things that I've learned that are this simple just make me more grateful for the influences in my life. When we're taught those simple things, they stay with us and become second nature. I love it!

So next time you talk to your parents tell them how grateful you are that they taught you to look before crossing the street, because the reason you are still walking is that you look first all the time.