Perfect Souls
by Maura Weis
I would like to share with you a story of a recent incident. Hannah’s one-on-one aide presented me a picture of Hannah with her classmates. The children were posing with this year’s Hannah’s Hands towels from our “Awareness & Compassion” campaign for the Michigan State game. Upon receiving the picture, the aide shared that another teacher thought I should not have it. The other teacher’s feelings were that the kids were not in perfect position. This struck a nerve because the teacher did not realize it was physically difficult for some of the children to raise their arms or focus on the camera.
After reflecting on the teacher’s comments and the picture, I realized that these children are perfect in their imperfect bodies. If we truly believe there is a soul inside everyone, then God gave these children perfect souls…souls strong enough to go through life with more challenges than most can handle, and souls that teach us the true meaning of life. They already know unconditional love and are grateful for the blessings they receive. They are not petty and do not go out of their way to be spiteful. They are truly God’s chosen few. All they ask in return is a little help with their imperfect bodies, respect, and most of all, love.
Helping these children will get them through a life that is challenging and mostly unaccommodating. Doing this will provide unimaginable rewards. Those that are involved with special needs individuals, whether it is with a family member or a calling to a needed service, are touched by these special souls and realize a deeper understanding of life.
I share this story with you to show that their gifts continue to go unseen or unappreciated, even in a school system. Charlie and I will continue plugging away to change society’s mentality towards special needs individuals.
