- A girl doesn’t dress in the height of fashion.
- Someone has physical or mental limitations.
- An elderly man doesn’t think or act as quickly as we do.
- A colleague is a member of a different religion.
- Some students come to school hungry and tired.
Yet, if we
probe the depths of these unique people, we will find they have the same wants,
needs, and rights as the rest of us. They deserve respect. They deserve
understanding. We need to open our minds and eyes to the fact that, deep down,
we’re all the same.
Janet
She’s an
unbelievably caring mother who gives all of her time and energy to her kids.
She has no time left over for herself. She doesn’t read, or exercise. Her
youngest child, especially, demands her attention almost constantly.
Some might criticize
Janet for not doing her best to look glamorous and beautiful. But, she is
gorgeous on the inside. She has chosen different priorities. Janet’s main
calling in life is “mother”, not “model”.
Evelyn
She is
another friend who is struggling with being a single parent of young children.
Certain individuals may comment about her youngest son, who is loud and pretty
much out of control. Some may label Evelyn as being an inadequate mother. “She
should be able to control him”, they may think to themselves.
I have seen
her son with other caregivers. Nobody can manage him. He will not sit still, or
keep quiet, for five minutes. Evelyn does her best; but, she has other children
to think of as well.
This hard-working
single mom may get labeled as “ineffective”. Yet, she is doing the best she can
under trying circumstances. As a fellow mother, I am well aware numerous kids
do not act as we wish. Sometimes, we just have to say, “It is what it is” and
let go.
Google+
I’m aware of
a variety of people on this site that lead a severely restricted life due to
medical concerns. These survivors are dealing with past and present trauma, such
as cancer. A few of them cannot even
leave their hospital beds. Should we criticize them because they are unable to
lead fulfilling lives? Is it their fault they cannot do more?
Gulrukh Tausif
I found this
inspirational blogger on Google+. She wrote a moving piece about a young boy
called Ali
Noor. He was bullied daily at school because he had obvious physical
limitations. Ali appeared to be weaker and smaller than the rest of the
students. However, the school finally learned the reason why Ali was crippled.
Students and
teachers alike cried when they found out the truth about this pint-sized hero.
Needless to say, the bullying stopped. I guarantee this post will tug at your
heartstrings, too. It’s well worth the three-minute read.
My Conclusion
Worth thinking about!
ReplyDeleteHi, Mary. I thank you kindly for taking the time to read--and for your compliments!
DeleteThank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteHi, Brenda Lee. I thank you for reading and commenting. It means so much to me!
DeleteWise words! I really think you should be talking to school aged kids. They would benefit from your wisdom.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rosanne! You are such a consistent, huge cheering section for me! As my health, and my self-image, improve, I'll have to look into talking to schools.
DeleteThank you for writing about this. It has been something that I have been thinking about a lot myself these days :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeremy Crow. I think we live in a time of too much fear and hate, which promotes unfair judgement. So, you aren't alone in pondering this subject. It's always on my mind!
Delete