A story about a small child touched my heart, and I thought I would share it with you. A little boy entered a pet store and asked, “How much for the puppies?”
The store owner replied “Anywhere between $35-$100.”
The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2.37,” he said.
“May I please look at the puppies?” he asked.
The store owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the store aisle followed by five teeny tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging way behind.
Immediately the little boy saw the limping puppy and asked, “What is wrong with that little dog?” The store owner told him the vet discovered it didn’t have a hip socket; it would always limp. The little boy smiled and said, “That is the puppy I want to buy.”
The store owner quickly objected telling the little boy that he wouldn’t want him to spend his money on that little dog. “If you really want him, I will give him to you,” the store owner offered.
That upset the little boy who looked into the store owner’s eyes, pointed his finger and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That dog is worth every bit as much as all of the other dogs and I will pay full price. I will give you $2.37 today and 50 cents a week until I have him paid for.”
The owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He can never run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”
To this the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted left leg supported by a metal brace. The little boy said softly, “Well, I don’t run so good myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands.”
Reading the story reminded me of a Sunday school class I taught several years ago. The students were about 12 or 13 years old. One Sunday, I handed each of them slips of paper and asked them write down one sincere compliment about every classmate.
One of the students was a special needs boy who others often ignored or shunned. I saw the students struggling, and I was pretty sure it was because they were thinking about what they would write about this boy.
Finally they all turned in their slips. I read them out loud. “Steve is a good basketball player,” “Cindy has beautiful hair,” or “Todd is friendly and fun to be around.”
When I came to the stack of slips for the special needs boy, each and every compliment was the same. “I like his shirt.” Apparently that was all that came to their minds.
The boy, upon hearing the comments, leaped from his chair smiling broadly. “You like my shirt. You really like my shirt,” he said. He looked around the room just beaming. He didn’t realize what had just happened, but the other students did.
I silently observed students brushing tears away. It was a special moment and one I will never forget. They got it, they realized just how special he really was, and how even the smallest compliment meant the world to him. They learned a valuable lesson in humanity that day. I noticed a difference in the way they interacted with him after that. Great kids. I learned a lot from that experience, too.
As I write this weekly column, I think about all the people who live and visit here; all unique, all different, and all equally special. The little boy in the pet store learned that early in life.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we all accepted one another the way we are? Life’s lessons…
The answer to last week’s question — Can you name the 15 doctors at the Shawano Clinic in 1989 — is Drs. D.S. Arvold, Art Cantwell Jr., R.L. Harms, John D. Hart, D.A. Jeffries, G.B. Thatcher, R.L. Logemann, D.R. Petty, Richard R. Stoughton, T.J. Thomas, Kevin J. Weber, J.J. Albright, F.T. Bergmann, John W. Kosko and D.W. Schulz.
This week’s question is: Can you name the mayor and aldermen serving in 1989?
