Life Lesson

Tonight while out trick-or-treating I had one of those life lessons handed to me.

I saw a minivan out in the neighborhood taking the kids from house to house. Or so it seemed.

My first thought was: man are they lazy! It is a gorgeous 60 degree night. The drizzling stopped. Why bother going door to door in a minivan? The houses aren't THAT far apart.

That's when I bumped into the family in question. My neighbors.

This time last year the dad was having undiagnosed symptoms that baffled the doctors. After many months of testing, he was finally diagnosed with the worst possible diagnosis: ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gherig's Disease. Within that time period he went from driving, working full-time and otherwise being like most people to deteriorating quite rapidly. He is now in a wheelchair and mobility is quite difficult, as is his ability to communicate.

To them, trick or treating by car was their way of letting dad enjoy Halloween with the kids. It was also their way to just hit the homes of a few special people. It allowed the kids to go out and enjoy the holiday, which is also important.

For me, it was a lesson in not judging others. A lesson I keep needing to be reminded about. Maybe someday, with God's help, I'll get to the point where I don't judge first. I know I can't get to that point without His help.

Happy Halloween!