On Monday, Wednesday or Friday mornings, I take our household trash and recyclables to the Florida Highlands Recycling Convenience Center. It took me a while to find it the first time. Many twists and turns. At one of the turns stands a man. He is there every morning to smile and wave to everybody. He wears a floppy fisherman’s hat, has a Thermos, sometimes a chair, and an umbrella if the weather is inclement. He is obviously “developmentally challenged”. Even though an adult, he has a child-like innocence and openness to him. He makes my day get off to a great start. This is his ministry.

This unabashed welcoming of people is also seen in those with Down Syndrome. No games, no duplicity, no hidden agenda. Just pure authenticity and acceptance. They are angels, of that I am convinced. I used to feel great sorrow and pity for parents of “special needs” children. But what I have observed is that even though their lives are always challenging and stressful, their disposition is always pleasant. They are infused with the grace and peace that comes from knowing that their lives are truly blessed. We are drawn to these people, if our hearts are full of that same purity and openness. Give me these people any day over the entitled, rich, exclusive, worldly types.

Go and see “Wonder”, if it’s still in theaters. If it’s not, get it when it comes out on Blu-Ray or DVD. When times are uncertain, when the news saddens us, when we lose faith in so-called leadership, let your spirits be uplifted by “the man on the corner”, the adult with Down Syndrome, the child confined to a wheelchair. They understand, and we should all of us remember, that we are loved unconditionally.

Pastor Art