A Silent Prayer to God - Paul Nolan
My long-time friend from high school, Paul Nolan (a 35+ year EMS veteran in Los Angeles), wrote a touching and tender experience today which I wanted to share. This captured so well my feelings for the amazing love and wonderful unity I was blessed to be a part of with my Joshua boy for 22 short years. Thanks Paul for your wonderful insight, compassion and example!
This afternoon I stopped in at an In-N-Out Burger for lunch. It was busy but I noticed a Toyota Sienna pull up and several special needs adults come into the restaurant with a woman who takes care of them. She was very patient with them and it showed she really cared about them.
I watched as they waited in line, shuffling from side-to-side, needing a little bit of attention to stay focused. I noticed that if one of them had trouble ordering food or figuring out how much money they needed to pay for their meal, another in their group would help them. The young girl behind the counter was extremely helpful, pointing to the pictures on the menu when necessary, and helping them with their money.
As they waited for their orders I saw them laugh and joke with each other, patiently waiting for their turn at the drink machine. They were together, they protected each other, they helped each other. The bonding of these five adults was amazing. They needed each other when they were out in public unlike any other group of people who were there.
As I watched them I said a silent prayer for God to watch over them, keep them safe and free from harm or ridicule. I've always had a soft spot for the less fortunate among us and have always gone out of my way to treat them, not just as a patient, but as the special person they were.
They made me smile today. At least for a brief moment anyway, and that's all that really matters.
#silentprayers
