What is normal?

Back a couple decades ago, we were around a young man with Down's Syndrome. Ken was fun to just be with. Super honest and 100% authentic. You simply enjoyed being with him. I could make noise on the guitar, but Ken could play the guitar. His songs weren't masterpieces, but you could recognize them and sing to them, which was better than mine. Many would say Ken wasn't normal. Maybe not for some, but I'd enjoy spending eternity with Ken just the way he was and is.

Back when I was just a kid, a cousin of ours had, if I remember right, epilepsy. Nina would have seizures several times every day. Nina probably couldn't excel at school, but she was special. A neighbor of Dad's in Nebraska, gave Mick and me an old, one-eyed spotted mare. That old mare figured out she could go under Mom's clothes line and scrape Mick and me off. Nina got a stick and showed the old mare how not to. Nina probably wasn't normal to many, but she was "mighty fine" to those who loved her. I wonder what Nina will be like when I meet her in heaven?

There was a young man in my high school class who had problems in school. He simply wasn't into books and memorizing math formulas or correct English, but he could tell you who was batting what and who was who and who they played for. He had all this figured out, and when we talked I didn't have a clue as to whether he was right or wrong. I've always believed he was right. He has a tender heart that seems to see the good in everyone. He attends church when he can. He has always been a good friend of mine. He's in my prayers,

Bet we all know individuals who are something like my friends that I've described above. They may be friends of yours or even relatives. Most likely they have been made fun of or even ridiculed probably behind their backs or maybe even to their face. But I guess I wonder why.

Remember that old, one-eyed spotted mare given to Mick and me? We honestly enjoyed that old gal. You could ride her two up, but sooner or later she would kick up her rear end, trying to buck you off. Could have been because when two were riding her at the same time the one on the back maybe had their legs in her flanks. She was never real serious about bucking us off. She wasn't fast, and she was old, and she couldn't see. But we had fun riding her and giving her attention. I wonder if she enjoyed us.

Most would have said she wasn't worth a plug nickel. She wasn't a "normal" horse like most rode in the Sandhills, but she was special to us.

So is "worth" in the eye of the beholder and not in the object? I kind of believe this is the case, and this is the case no matter what the object is. When we look at something in a critical way most of what we see will be faults or shortcomings. But when we look at something or someone with kindness and love, we will observe strengths and positive attributes. We recognize the faults or shortcomings, but they don't seem important. Kind of like looking at a cup that is half full and always seeing it as half full. Seeing the good!

What if when we are faced with something or someone or a change or whatever before we do anything or say anything we make sure we think or say something positive! When I was working on my ministerial doctorate at Asbury, we were to preach a message to the class, which was recorded and critiqued. But before anyone said anything the class as a whole had to verbalize the positives.

Maybe carry around a notebook and list the positives down one side of the page before you write down the negatives on the other side.

Think uplifting thoughts!