We’ve just moved. We planned it such, that my sister Sue would care for our Joey (special needs age 35) for a long weekend so we could get his room set up. This would allow us to prepare ahead of time for those bumps in the road that happen when BIG CHANGE happens. And when we say CHANGE we often mean CHALLENGE!
Joey likes his things just the way he arranges them….like those of us who like our ducks in a row! So our desire was to put things as close to the same in the new house as in the previous. He had shelves of sports related bobble heads, footballs, baseballs, and things from his favorite OHIO teams on the shelves. We thought we nailed it: organizing his little space JUST for him. And he confirmed just that when he put his hands to his mouth and said, “Oh my, all my bobble heads. All my things. AND MY SWORDS!” (To clarify: They are plastic swords to play Narnia related imaginative scenes.) “Thank you, Mom and Dad!” We loved his heart of appreciation.
But then, on the way to work one day soon after, Joey looked at his shoes and said, “Dad, I’m thankful for my shoes.” Joe told him how nice that was and asked, “Are you thankful for anything else?” He answered, “My room. My clothes. My new house.”
He doesn’t have much, and much of what he has is ours because he lives with us. He is simple. He appreciates the little things he’s been provided and he seldom asks for anything at all. It was indeed a lesson learned to hear his heartfelt expression of thanks for shoes, clothes, and the new home. I think those are the very things for which we should give thanks.
Most of us have so much and aren’t content. He has little and appreciates it all. Lesson learned. Thank you, Joey, for your heart of appreciation, the thankfulness you expressed, and how you are teaching all of us and don’t even know it.
Happy Thanksgiving…..from our hearts and home to yours!
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