You can sit with me!
It was my daughter Sophia’s birthday yesterday. She turned 21 on January 16th. Amy says we’ll celebrate more this weekend, but last night we had an ice cream cake and Grandpa came over. Sophia loves to sing Happy Birthday and blow out candles. It doesn’t matter if it’s her birthday or anyone else’s; she gets very excited and will assist anyone who might need an extra breath. It is hard for me to believe that I have a daughter who is 21. How did she get so old, while I remain so young?
I had a meeting at Sophia’s school yesterday morning. Part of what I talked about with her teachers is what will happen to Sophia when she turns 22 and can no longer attend school. There are a lot of unknowns right now with all of Sophia’s disabilities and what might be available for her to do on a daily basis here in Ladysmith. (I’ve suggested she become Shawn Kiger, our youth director’s personal assistant) One thing I can be certain of is that whatever she does, the church will continue to be a part of her life. Sophia has grown up at Wright’s Chapel. Sophia loves the church, or I should say she loves the people of our church. I’m so thankful that she has been a part of a place where she has been loved, accepted, cared for and found joy in life. I thought about it last weekend when Jim Womack, who Sophia usually sits with at the 9:45 service, was unable to be there. Within no time someone offered to sit with her and Sophia took hold of their hand and had found a new friend.
All of us really have some kind of special need. Sophia’s may be a bit more obvious, but most everyone, at least at some point in their life, has something going on that can drag them down. I pray that we can be a church where regardless of the special need someone might have, there will always be someone who will understand and be ready to say, “You can sit with me.” And that with an extended hand a new friend is found.
