Just talkin': Blessing counting

Sometimes the daily grind begins wearing you down. Then you see something that plucks your heart strings so hard it hurts and makes you weep. You count your blessings.

One morning during an outdoor exercise walk such a sight came into view and I did cry after going past it. I had seen this sight before but this particular day it affected me more than usual. It was the school bus that picks up children who are handicapped, some mentally as well as physically. A teenage boy on our block is wheelchair-bound, appears mentally challenged, and is picked up and returned home daily during the week.

I have great admiration for his parents who always seem cheerful when we meet. I have noticed the woman bus driver also has a pleasant way about her. In a matter-of-fact manner she manipulates the necessary equipment to get the neighbor boy and his wheelchair on board.

As I walk by the bus windows I always smile and wave to the youngsters on board even though they often don't seem capable of smiling or waving back. My hope is they somehow know I am doing this.

I don't know how many passengers would be on the full load but at our neighborhood stop I see four on the side I walk by and I'm sure there are more on the other side. All appear to be teenagers.

This particular day there was one blond girl whose hair was nicely styled and combed. She sat motionless and never looked up. In the seats behind her were three boys in various positions. Their bodies were badly twisted and facial expressions vacant. It seemed to me two of them were trying to relate to me in their own ways with a longer than usual stare in my direction. It was a heartbreaking scene.

I marvel at parents or caregivers of these and other youngsters with special needs. It's hard to imagine taking care of them 24/7. I've heard God usually only gives such children to people who are nearly angels to start with and have an extra amount of love to share. I've come to believe that. However, I'm not naive enough to believe all parents and caregivers have earned angel wings. I pray harder for them to change and for their children who may suffer from lack of good care.

Just getting something done as mundane as brushing their children's teeth must be quite a task. Taking care of bathing and all other bodily needs has to be a daily challenge the rest of us can't even imagine coping with.

But there is one thing you should know about those with special needs. No matter how badly afflicted they still have their own unique personalities and feelings. I learned that when working as a braille transcriber. Not only were the children blind but some had other physical and mental issues. That's where I also learned not to use the terms blind or handicapped children, but to say children, or people, who are blind or handicapped. They are people first, the affliction comes second; a small but important difference.

Whenever I feel like whining about doing housework or some other chore I have always had a couple of ways to get over my silly mood. One is to be glad I'm not some woman with a starving baby living in a drought-ridden country having to walk fifteen miles to find water and maybe a few sticks to use for building a fire. Another is to be thankful I'm not in a vegetable state living in a nursing home constantly crying out a stream of unintelligible sounds.

Now I have another way. I remember passengers on the yellow school bus and count my many, many blessings. I also pray for them and those who take care of them. God bless them all.

SUE VOGELSANGER of Cape Girardeau, a longtime contributor to The Banner Press, has strong familial ties to Bollinger County. Her columns are scheduled to run on the first Wednesday of the month.