Hey aren't we all?

It's amazing to me how things happen sometimes. Today I had the privilege of meeting a young man who is mentally challenged. He is a very special guy with a very special new family. This young man has been without parents for a while until now. I'm happy to say that he now has what everyone needs most in their lives: love, respect, admiration and care from his family. Really, you could just sum it all up and say that he's being treated the way everyone wants to be treated.

People with disabilities hold a very special place in my heart and I consider it a privilege to be around them. You see, I have never found greater determination and drive than that which is possessed by most disabled people. It's a determination and drive that many people who are not disabled will never have. Further than that though, people with disabilities, more often than not, treat others with respect.

Unfortunately, I've been around people who don't value disabled people like I do. They call them names and treat them as second class citizens. When I see this happen, usually I become a little defensive and ready to stand up for the disabled person. I've realized now though, that pointing out the fact that everyone wants to be treated with respect, even the person doing the name calling, is usually the best way to foster an appreciation and admiration for the disabled.

Today, I was reminded of a song. Mark Willis' "Don't Laugh at Me" is a song that really related to what I'm talking about. Here's the lyrics:





"Don't Laugh At Me"


I'm a little boy with glasses
The one they call the geek
A little girl who never smiles
'Cause I've got braces on my teeth
And I know how it feels
To cry myself to sleep.

I'm that kid on every playground
Who's always chosen last
A single teenage mother
Tryin' to overcome my past
You don't have to be my friend
Is it too much to ask?

[Chorus:]
Don't laugh at me, don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me.

I'm the cripple on the corner
You pass me on the street
I wouldn't be out here beggin'
If I had enough to eat
And don't think that I don't notice
That our eyes never meet.

I lost my wife and little boy
Someone crossed that yellow line
The day we laid 'em in the ground
Is the day I lost my mind
Right now I'm down to holdin'
This little cardboard sign.

[Chorus:]
Don't laugh at me, don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me.

I'm fat, I'm thin, I'm short, I'm tall
I'm deaf, I'm blind, hey aren't we all?

[Chorus:]
Don't laugh at me, don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me.

I think when people listen to this song they don't really realize what it's meant to be. I think people listen to this and feel sorry for the people in the song. That, to me, is not what the song was meant for. Instead, the song was meant to send a message to the listener. "In God's eyes we're all the same." Isn't that true. The message that this song is bringing is about respect. People who are different do not want to be treated differently. They want to be treated with respect-the same respect that you give everyone else. These people have feelings too. I'm forever grateful for those special people like my friend I met today. For it is through them that I realize what life is really about. Life is about love, admiration, care and respect. Thanks for reminding me today, my friend!

Tonight, the measure of a man can sometimes be found in the way in which we treat others who may be "fat" or "thin" or "short" or "tall" or "deaf" or "blind" For it is through these people that sometimes our lives will be forever changed!

That, my friends, is just a few thoughts from a small town southern man!