Meet Paul

When I was 5, there was a man at my church named Paul. There was something about Paul that I immediately noticed was different. The way he talked to people, how he helped the older ladies up and down the stairs, greeted all of the kids with a smile and a handshake or a high five, (and some of the ladies with a kiss on the hand). He was just...joyful - in the literal sense of the word: full of joy. And in my wise 5 year old brain (which I think can sometimes be much more wise than adults) I knew that Paul was the type of person I wanted to be around.

Paul also happened to have Down Syndrome. He couldn't talk very easily, had a significant stutter, and wasn't able to live on his own. I saw him struggle to say his name, and get frustrated when people were too impatient to stand and listen to him try to talk. Time and again people would finish his sentences for him, guessing at what he had to say, but never really listening.

It was then that I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to help people like Paul. Not because he needed my pity, or to feel some sense of validation, or because he 'needed help.' No, in reality, I guess I wanted to help everyone else through helping people like Paul. I wanted to help everyone else see what I could see at the time: a man who, in spite of whatever was his destined lot in life, for better or for worse, chose joy. I wanted to help people see just how valuable Paul truly was, and how much he could teach others. I wanted to show people just how backward they had it, and just how right Paul had it.

And that's why I do what I do, and why I am going to miss it so very much. I know I'll come back to it eventually, in some way shape or form, as that is definitely the call God has placed on my life. But for now, I'll miss it. I'll miss the day in and day out, the annoying things and the frustrations, the little victories and the milestones. But I can't wait to teach Graham all I've learned through those I've worked with over the years - they have truly been my teachers, and I couldn't be more grateful.

This is Paul. He passed away 3 years ago, at the age of 69.