Sunday, September 25, 2005
today i saw for myself that in the midst of disability there is still ability.
was not in a particularly good mood when i went to church today. cos my dad was commenting abt this and that before we left the house. and it was raining and i could not walk to church.
normally i will seat with all the youth during combine service. but today i jus felt like sitting alone in the back row. my mum was like noooo tht is for the old people to sit. and i jus told her i will make space for them when they come.
i guess my mum jus wanted us to sit together cos i didnt see any old people sit in my row. except a middle age lady whom ive seen around church since very long ago. she cant really walk properly. i think her legs are of diff length or she had polio when she was young. i didnt really know her. i dun think she knew me too. so we jus sat there. mind our own business.
perhaps it was cos i was distracted today. so i took abit more attention to what she was doing. which totally made a difference to my day and im glad i looked closer.
women like to sit together. something i realise. and then all the latecomers who were female and middle age somehow squeezed in the row in front of us. even though it was super packed already. i really dun understand y dun they jus come and sit with me. hahaha is a teenager that intimidating?
then the lady beside me started looking around. i was thinking whats she doing. walking around the aisle when she cant walk properly.
then i realised she was getting hymn books for all those packed ladies in front who didnt have them. it was really something that touched my heart. cos most of the time i jus pass to people in front of me if i see extra. but no one ever search for hymn books for people. and then there she was when she cannot even walk properly.
all throughout service i was part listening and part observing her. i dun think she was listening as much as she was observing ppl around her. which was quite amusing as i was observing her and less of listening too. practically every latecomer who sat behind left right front would soon get a pat on the shoulder from her handing them a hymn book.
end of service. i was packing my stuff to leave. i felt definitely in a better mood somehow. so i decided to go find the youth ppl again. and then she came to up to me and ask me when is my exams.
i was stunned for awhile. she didnt even know me. and she asks for my exam dates? this woman is really something.
so i jus told her it is coming soon. and im glad i got the courage to tell her that i was touched by her giving everyone the hymn books.
what is disability? maybe its an opportunity to let the able see their weaknesses.
she came to shake my hand when she asked me abt my exams. but when i told her how touched i was.. i found myself holding on to her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze that somehow didnt really want to let go.
every week in church or during the week we shake people's hands. but it is a rarity that i feel that sort of warmth radiating from it. not jus physical but that feeling that u feel inside you that tells you that this is a very special person.
im glad i sat at the last row today. i learnt something and i made a new friend.
by lydia at 10:49 PM
