This particular subject has been a subject of my writings in the past and is one of my favorite subjects to write about. The reason is that there is so much to learn about special needs kids and adults that can help us to be better people. Their lack of prejudice and innate desire to show compassion and love to all they meet, set a model for the lives that we should try to live ourselves.

Although we have come a long way, there is a portion of our population that disappointedly mocks those with special needs because of the need to make themselves feel better about their lackluster lives. If they took a moment to understand, get to know these individuals and make them a part of their lives, they would see that these angels are far better people than we could ever hope to be.

What is encouraging is all the good stories you see about those that are supporting special needs kids and adults. Clubs in schools that are focused on making the individuals feel included rather than excluded. Places of business like Bitty and Beaus Coffee shop who hire special needs individuals to staff their coffee shops. Stores that hire special needs individuals into positions that are well suited for them and in turn teach the patrons that come to their store valuable lessons.

While we have come so far, there is so much further to go. Until every special needs angel is accepted as a part of our society, equally with their fellow person, we will never be where we need to be. Being in the presence of a special needs kid or adult is one of life’s blessings. If we take the time to be with them, learn from them and understand them, we will learn lessons about how we should treat others that we can’t learn in a book. They will teach us unconditional love, provide us with laughter medicine that we could never get at a comedy show and allow us into their beautiful world without wanting anything in return.

While they themselves contribute to our lives, their caregivers are equally magical. The responsibility on the caregiver, be it mother, father or another member of the family, can be overwhelming. We can never truly know what they have to go through as the special needs individual’s life becomes theirs. What I do know is that their relationship is a beautiful thing to watch and provides another life lesson and model for the unconditional love that we should all strive to possess.

Mornings with Ron is available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeartRadio, Apple or Google Podcasts, Spotify or most podcast sites.

#morningswithron