With a Little Help from Friends

“You’re never too important to be nice to people.” 

~ Jon Batiste

Nine-year-old Austin Weaver has Cerebral Palsy.  He makes no excuses and willingly makes attempts at sports and other challenges.  Austin’s efforts are appreciated by his teammates and peers.  In a recent basketball game, a player passed the ball to Austin.  He attempted the shot, but didn’t have the strength to make the ball reach the net.  The next time the ball was passed to Austin, a player, who is a good foot taller, came up behind him, placed his hands underneath Austin’s hands, gave strength to the shot and he made the basket.

Stanley is a WWII veteran who now lives in a facility for Alzheimer’s and dementia residents.   A group of preschoolers and their teachers comes once a week to interact with the people and have music time.  The children pass out the instruments to the older adults and then sing songs with them.  There are also lots of hugs in the process.  Three-year-old Emma has formed a special friendship with Stanley.  Although he can’t always remember her name, his face and eyes light up when he sees Emma.  Emma’s mother also takes her back at other times to play games with Stanley.

Two-year-old Samantha lives in Newton, Massachusetts with her parents, Raphael and Glenda Savitz.  Samantha is deaf and loves to communicate with anyone who uses sign language.  As the Savitzs would walk around their neighborhood, people would speak and try to communicate with Samantha.  They noticed she was somewhat sad when she couldn’t understand them.  Wanting her to know she was a special part of their community, the neighbors hired an instructor to teach an American Sign Language class so they could speak with Samantha.

A window washer was hired to clean the windows of a hospital.  As he was washing the window of a young patient with cancer, he noticed the boy was somewhat sad.  The man took the time to make sudsy hair and beard on the window by the boy and took a picture on his phone for him to see.  When the boy laughed, the window washer continued to create different styles for the boy.  Soon more and more kids were coming to his room to join in on the laughter and fun.

Because people took the time to see a need, assess the situation, and do something about it, another person’s life was blessed and made a little more enjoyable.  May we, too, have the eyes, ears, heart and desire to notice the opportunities around us and then do something about it.

No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

Corinthians 10:24