Be Kind. Always.

One of the store managers approaches Cory and his job coach and says, “Can I pull you two away from the line for a minute?” The job coach’s heart starts to race. Uh Oh. Are we in trouble? In a stern tone, the store manager says, “I just got off the phone with a customer.” The job coach starts to feel herself get flushed. Her mind is racing. What did I miss? Cory hasn’t been away from my side. What could he have done that could have possibly caused someone to take offense? The store manager continues, “She said she was having a bad day but after interacting with Cory, it completely turned her day around and she is now in the best mood.” Oh Whew! With a twinkle in his eye, the store manager says, “I just wanted to mess with you a little. Here Cory. This is a coupon for a free meal in the restaurant. Way to go buddy.” He shakes Cory’s hand and walks away.

When Kellen and Cory were little, there was a little grocery store down the street that had a small diner inside. Mike and the boys would frequently go there for dinner on my Bible Study nights. One time when they were eating dinner, an elderly gentleman approached them as he was leaving and told them it was really fun to watch them interact with each other. He told Kellen he was a good big brother and he told Cory he was a good boy. He proceeded to give each of them a one dollar bill. Because Cory has never cared about spending money, Mike taped his dollar to the outside of one of the kitchen cupboards and told the boys it was to serve as a reminder that we never know when people see what we’re doing so it’s important to always let our light shine.

We’ve all seen the meme “You never know what someone is going through, be kind” or “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be Kind. Always.” They have become memes because they are true. I don’t know about you but I work so hard to try to remember the importance of seeing people, not just rushing from one thing to the next but it is an inherent part of who Cory is. There is no intentionality in how he interacts with people, he just naturally does what we aspire to do. He’ll ask a woman he’s never met that he’s bagging groceries for if he can give her a hug. It gives his job coaches and the cashiers pause and then the woman responds with, “How did you know I needed that today?” You’ll hear me say this a lot but this is one of the reasons I sincerely believe our spirits will look a lot more like Cory’s in heaven than any “typical” person we will ever meet.

Please comment below if you have a story of how the special needs person in your life has blessed you or if you’ve been blessed in an interaction yourself.