This week I read a book which was a collection of stories and inspirational meditations written by parents of handicapped children. I was especially impressed with one of the meditations. Since the book is copyrighted I will summarize the meditation.
The author has a purple morning glory vine which climbs up the spindles on her porch. One day when she was sitting there she noticed the morning glory vines always climb up the spindles counterclockwise. As she looked more closely, she saw one that was climbing clockwise. There was no explanation why that one was different. As she watched it in the following days she saw that another vine was growing over it in the normal counterclockwise direction. The two vines formed an x at each place they crossed as they climbed. The abnormal vine created a beauty not found in all the vines that grew in the normal way.
Some children are born with mental or physical handicaps. They don't grow or develop in the normal way. But they still have value and the same emotional needs as the rest of the family. As their lives are intertwined with the rest of the "normal" family, a beauty develops that would otherwise be unknown.
When you see a handicapped child, stop and talk to them even if they can't respond. They will feel valued to be recognized and it will make their day. Think of them as a purple morning glory climbing clockwise and blooming in spite of the abnormal growth pattern.
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