Teachers In Disguise

     The poet Robert Browning once said, "Take away love and our Earth is a tomb." Thankfully, I have been able to choose love and avoid that tomb so far in my own life. I have been fortunate too that God has given me so many great teachers who have shown me what it really means to love. I haven’t always been the greatest student and I know I have a long way to go. Still, with their help I keep trying to choose love and learn more about love everyday of my life.

     One of my greatest teachers is very different from the rest. This teacher is my youngest son. He has a severe form of Autism that limits his speech and keeps him trapped in his own world most of the time. Changes in the simplest things disturb him. The smallest difficulties frustrate him. His mood can go from extremely happy to very sad in a heartbeat. Often he cries for no reason I can see and all I can do is hold him and wait for it to stop.

     Even with all he has to go through, however, my son has still shown me so much about love and about joy. He has shown me that love must be unconditional, patient, kind, and giving. He has shown me that love means sometimes just being there for someone even though you can’t solve their problems or ease their pain. He has shown me that love is its own reward.

     He has also shown me, though, that a child’s laugh can sound as lovely and joyous as an angel’s song. He has also shown me that the light in a person’s eyes can twinkle as beautifully as the stars. He has also shown me that a single smile can warm a heart and uplift a soul. He has also shown me that a Heavenly spirit can shine through any disability. He has also shown me that God sometimes sends us our greatest teachers and angels in disguise. My son didn’t need words, a PhD, or a brilliant mind to teach me. All he needed was the loving heart and the joyous soul God gave him. May all of you learn as much from your own teachers in disguise.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~

[ by: Joseph J. Mazzella (joecool@wirefire.com) -- {used with permission} ]