Believe in You!

We are going to have to file this post under the the title "Things that I just don't understand".  I can't answer the question of why this would even be a post that I would make here, other than to say that it is what I feel I want to post. The feeling of that one cruel thing to many has just slammed me here today.

I know that children can be cruel when talking to their peers or about them.  I understand that they don't have a great understanding about people being different, but they learn from their parents.  If you can't speak kind words to them, just how do we expect them to speak kind words to others.  I don't understand how anyone can look another human being in the eyes and say cruel and hurtful things.  I don't understand how a parent could teach their child that it was perfectly fine to do that.  Many, many years ago when my oldest daughter was being bullied because of her speech and learning disability, she made the following statement to the person attempting to tear her down.  "You can hear and know that I'm different than you, but we all have something imperfect about us,  Just because your's is better hidden doesn't give you the right to tear me down."  I was so very proud of her response.  She was so very young and stood up to it with so much grace.  When I read a post from this little guys Mom this morning about cruel words that he faced from another child yesterday it broke my heart but then I remembered something he had said to me while I was in Alaska.  Years ago when he was visiting Arizona with help I arranged for him to go horse back riding.  Not a huge deal unless you know one thing...he was born with Spina Bifida.  When he wasn't much more than a day old they flew him from the hospital in Alaska to Phoenix AZ.  When he was wasn't much more than just a couple of days old he had major back surgery.  He is 9 years old now and has more surgical scars than most people will have in a lifetime, and there are more surgeries ahead for him.  What is more important and strikes me even more than that is he has the most positive, resilient, strength filled, determined attitude that I have EVER seen.  During his horse back riding he made the comment that put all of us in tears..."I can do anything on this horse!"  When I was visiting and him and got to spend some time together on a walk with him taking photo's with my camera, he spoke the quote that is on the photo.  "I can do anything and I can be anything because you believe in me!"

I know and have known for my lifetime that I don't view the world the same way everyone else does. I look around me and see beauty and perfection where most wouldn't.  I try every day to say kind words to the people that I come in contact with, I believe that there are many of us that do.  Tell someone today that you believe in them.  Tell them that they are perfect exactly how they are.  Tell them to believe in them selves.  Or even just start with saying it to yourself out loud "I believe in you!"  In a world filled with people waiting to tear each other down, how about trying to make a change and work on being that one voice that may help build another human being up?