Special Needs

The Special Needs Mutual came to our Sacrament Meeting today. Anyone who's had them visit knows how neat it was. For me, I think what helps me feel the Spirit around a group like this are two things: unconditional love and gratitude.

People mention the unconditional love they feel from people in this group, but it's nice to be able to feel unconditional love for them too, without judgment. We as humans do a lot of categorizing and judging, some of which needs to be done, but it's nice to be able to just enjoy a person for who they currently are. As I sat in Sacrament Meeting I got thinking how really, everybody has special needs or you could say, special challenges or disabilities. Some aren't obvious and some are, but they're there. I've still been feeling unsettled about my recent post on weight. That may be something I'm more or less good at, but there are other things that I'm not good at at all and that I really don't understand. Chad, for example, seems to just "get" stuff that's math- or physics-involved, and I don't. There are people I know who are really good at helping people and really connecting with them. I wish I could be like that with more people. On the subject of unconditional love I guess there's a line between just enjoying the association of people as they are and between seeing how they could grow and seeking to teach and help. Maybe it doesn't need to be a line but could be done at the same time. Don't know. This is getting kind of stream-of-conscience here.

It's interesting how feeling gratitude for your own blessings and path in life brings the Spirit. I need to remember to think grateful thoughts more often. There are so many things to be grateful for. Even the fact that my fingers or any part of my body works is something to feel immense gratitude for. Coveting or self-pity are pretty dangerous things, and gratitude is probably the antidote for that.

Out of time so that's all for now.