June 6, 2005

Heavy Thunderstorm Thoughts

I am in the middle of a real cool electrical storm right now. That is one of few things that PA has over WA. WA has electrical storms, but they are few and far between. PA has at least several every month during the late spring/summer/early fall timeframe.

The storm has put me into a pensive mood. My loving bride has accused me many times of being an eternal skeptic and believing no one about anything. This is probably true. But I have come to find out that nothing is exactly what it seems to be. Here are some examples:

1. I know that my wife and children have chosen some families to admire as the perfect families. However, I have learned that there is no such thing as a perfect family. ALL families have problems. Every family has a certain amount of dysfunction, whether they admit it or not. I firmly believe that the only PERFECT family is a dead family (morbid thought, but a true one). Some people believe that the perfect example of the typical American family is Ozzie and Harriett (or Ward and June Cleaver). My response is: These families were never an example of the American family when these shows were on television. Keyword: TELEVISION (as in: NOT REALITY).

2. Our society tends to look down on the developmentally disabled (DD)as having less than most people because they don't meet a certain IQ standard, don't act a certain way, do "strange things" or any number of reasons. I have come to wonder if these people possess certain wonderful qualities that we "normal" (I guess that somewhere there is a standard makes us normal, but I am befuddled as to what that standard is) people have. I have been to/around Special Olympics several times and have seen some really beautiful people. Maybe not in the looks department, but those are transitory. They have an inner beauty that transcends any outer beauty by a long shot. In fact, I know one DD teenager who always manages to smile no matter what happens in her life. Her heart can be breaking into a thousand pieces and yet she will manage to pour love out to people a little bit later. She never carries a grudge. She has tantrums, but still is the most loving person I have ever met. And there are a lot of people like her. I know that MOST "normal" people don't have that capability. I firmly believe that we can learn from the DD's of the world.

It is amazing what thoughts occur to me during a good electrical storm.

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