Meet Chris

I met him at Garret's swimming lesson one Saturday. I was sitting, watching Garret swim when he came over and asked "do you mind if I join you?" I didn't mind. At first I didn't really think anything about him. He was nice & wasn't bothering me at all, but then we started talking. He introduced himself and started telling me about his day. Chris had walked about a mile to the Centre, enjoying the nice sunny day. He told me that his clothes were just too hot though. So on his walk home, he will make sure to wear some shorts & a white tshirt instead of that dark shirt and sweats. His other clothes were in his locker & he'll make sure to put them on after he exercises. Chris went on to show me his Pokemon game that someone had bought for him. He told me all about the case and what a great gift it was. He let me watch him play a maze game and then he showed me how great it fit in his pocket. We went on talking about swimming, the sun, and anything else that he thought of. Kira brought him a screw that she found on the ground and it was almost time for us to leave, so he left us to turn in the screw at the front desk because it might be really important. I had a great time sitting there with Chris. While we were talking, the only thing that I could think of, besides what we were talking about, was how special this guy is. Not because of his handicap, but how special he must have been in the pre-existence to be able to come to earth with a whole different challenge in life than the rest of us that are whole. It humbled me to be in his presence. I remembered reading about handicap children, not just ones with mental handicaps but those with physical disabilities also, that they are indeed special. James E. Faust said "How are the works of God manifest in these, our handicapped brothers and sisters? Surely they are manifested greatly in the loving care and attention given by parents, other family members, friends, and associates. The handicapped are not on trial. Those of us who live free of such limitations are the ones who are on trial. While those with handicaps cannot be measured in the same way as others, many of the handicapped benefit immensely from each accomplishment, no matter how small."  Chris's accomplishment that day was walking the mile to the centre. He was excited to share that with me. He may never know that another accomplishment he achieved  that day was the impact he had on my life. I'm thankful for the opportunities that humble me, remind me of why I am here, & who is in charge.