I drive special needs school bus for First Student. The morning of November 13, 2018 God’s grace and generosity was expressed through the encounter of two of my students, who are in the Live Skills Program. Life Skills Program is a very basic, how to feed oneself, verbal and non-verbal communication, dressing of self, going to the bathroom, and other minimal skills.
Brian is a student who uses a wheel chair and needs others to help him move it. He has been taught to use his hands to turn the wheels of the chair for only limited distance. Painful, yes, but it is a feeling of independence for him. The morning of November 13th when his sister brought him to the bus, she informed the bus aide and me that Brian was fussy. Brian lacks good speech skills to communicate how he feels and his needs. My bus aide, as she was fastening his chair in, was trying to comfort him with kind words. Brian sobbed loudly and we could tell he was upset with his sister for some reason.
Gloria, whom we picked up earlier, sat close to where Brian’s chair was fastened. She sensed he was upset. Gloria is almost non-verbal, very cognitive delayed, and has weak motor skills. At times Gloria can get very hyper and yells loudly. When she got on my bus earlier before Brian, my bus aide learned Gloria was upset with her brother that morning too.
I let the Special Ed Resource students depart when we arrived at the school. Brian and Gloria waited for a school aide to get them. I ask Gloria if she would like to help me with the bus chair lift, since she and Brian were both still a bit agitated. I showed her which buttons to push on the remote chair lift and she did her best. When Brian was safely lowered and off the lift, Gloria reached over, put her arm around Brian, and leaned her head to his head. That simple gesture of kindness put smiles on their faces. Gloria’s reaching out brought both Brain and herself comfort and healing in that moment. Two of God’s children sharing kindness with each other. I was overwhelmed as I observed the physical act of kindness of Jesus through Gloria and Brian. Yes, all are of Worth and all are called to share Jesus’ kindness.
But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I notice power had gone out from me.”
-Luke 8:40-48 NRSV
