So... Usually I blog about my week or some exciting news, but I had a day today that I decided needed to be written down now for journaling purposes. This weekend, I came home for a friend's wedding. While I was here, my dad invited me to go to Special Needs Sacrament Meeting with him. He has been a part of Special Needs Mutual for over a year now, and he has always tried to get me to go to the Sacrament Meeting that they do once a month, every month. I am still not sure why, but every month I always found a reason not to go. It was either a friend's farewell, something I had to do at my own ward, or just "politely" declining for one reason or another. I am still not sure why I kept saying no. I went to their big talent show a couple of times and I loved it! These kids are amazing and so happy and they just support each other no matter what.
Today, I finally decided to go with my dad to Special Needs Sacrament Meeting. It was the most amazing experience ever. Lately, for some reason, I have started being really hard on myself. Some days I'm too fat, other days I have too many zits, and some days I just can't figure it out, but there is SOMETHING wrong with my face. After going to this thing, I learned so much about inner beauty and not caring what you look like. Those kids are amazing and they love you from the moment they meet you, no questions asked! There was one kid who had the biggest smile in the whole world and he couldn't wipe it off of his face! These are kids with extreme mental and physical disabilities, with every reason in the world to complain, but they are the happiest people I have ever met. They love everyone and they support everyone no matter what!
There were a couple of things that stuck out to me that people said though.
1) "These kids are the closest to heaven and Christ that you will ever get." That was one of the most true statements of the entire day! The love everyone. No matter what you look like... Tall, short, skinny, fat, beautiful, or ugly. They love you! That's all there is to it! It is so amazing!
2) We are all God's children. It doesn't matter what our physical or mental capabilities are, God loves us all the same. There may be times when we feel inadequate or untalented next to other people, but what does it REALLY matter?
I learned a lot about what our perspective should be on life. It's like that Rascal Flatt's song, "Things That Matter". There are SO many things about life that seem to matter SO much, but they really don't! No one is going to remember what your hair looked like or what your makeup looked like, but they're going to remember how you treated them and how you acted around them. Every single Special Needs kid I have met has had a huge impact on my life. They have made me feel so loved and so welcome, and those are the people I will never forget for the rest of my life. THOSE are the people who we should be modeling our lives after and trying to be like. It was just an amazing experience for me and one that I will never forget! Will I ever turn down my dad's offer to go to Special Needs Sacrament Meeting again? No. Defintiely not.