love one another

i mentioned in this post that the dance concert Gentri and i went to left us in tears.

here’s why.

you may not be able to tell very well but in the middle of this picture is a little girl with cerebral palsy who is dancing with the teacher during one of the routines. she came out with the rest of the 3-4 year olds using a walker but still able to do most of the footwork for the dance.

you could tell she knew the routine so well even when most of the other little girls wouldn’t quite remember the next step. the teacher would also help dance with her and help her move around during some steps.
and you could tell the little girl just LOVED it all!!

it was seriously one of the top ten most touching moments i have ever witnessed!
it took all of our power for Gentri and i to stop from breaking down in uncontrollable tears.

when others probably would have said no, this teacher understood the importance of loving & accepting others and let this little girl join her dance team.

i couldn’t help but think about my own child and future children and hope that if they ever had some kind of disability {or even if they didn’t}, that they would be just as accepted and loved as the little girl in that photo.
and that they would know that they are a special child of God no matter how different they may be.

in church, one of my favorite Primary songs is
I’ll Walk With You
{lyrics}

If you don’t walk as most people do,
Some people walk away from you,
But I won’t! I won’t!
If you don’t talk as most people do,
Some people talk and laugh at you,
But I won’t! I won’t!
I’ll walk with you. I’ll talk with you.
That’s how I’ll show my love for you.

Jesus walked away from none.
He gave his love to ev’ryone.
So I will! I will!
Jesus blessed all he could see,
Then turned and said, “Come, follow me.”
And I will! I will!
I will! I will!
I’ll walk with you. I’ll talk with you.
That’s how I’ll show my love for you.

i hope that as we go about our day/week/month/year/LIVES we can constantly remember that no matter how different we all are,
{black or white, tall or short, homeless or wealthy, big or small, sick or healthy}
we are all children of our Heavenly Father
and be able to show Christ-like love towards each other!