Encountering Obstacles

Sometimes life can be difficult. People, and circumstances cause frustration, disappointment, and hurt. I have come to believe that most of the time people do not do things out of spite and vindictiveness but out of a un knowing. Who among us can truly know all that one person is feeling or facing, none on this early but only God. That can make encounters with others difficult to say the least. I have been confronted with difficult attitudes many times this summer. Brendon is home for the summer and I am enjoying spending time with him and just doing fun things like Vacation Bible School, swimming at the pool, and going to the library. We have had a busy summer, but it has not been without social challenge.

It seems to be that everyday I take him out there is some attitudinal barrier I have to face, a barrier that comes from an unknowing on another’s part, but that does not seem to make the feelings of frustration, anger and hurt disappear. Going to vacation bible school has been such an accepting event for us, the staff and volunteers have been most gracious and we have not been met with what I term “the look”, that expression we encounter when Brendon shows up in a wheelchair seeming to be so different from what others are used to. Most parents of special needs kids know “the look” well. It was the getting into the building that presented the challenge. On numerous occasions cars were illegally parked in the “accessible parking” spaces (what is now the preferred term for the “handicapped parking” spaces). This is not a new problem we often face, but it is one that continues to occur and thus causes great frustration. Sure I know the person usually thinks they are just going to zip in and out of the space and no harm will be done. But in the time they take to zip in, we are searching for a safe place to park our car. Knowing the person usually is not performing their action as some sort of vendetta against me does not seem to help the feelings that seem to rise to the surface with this simple action.

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