Truly
I say to you, unless you turn and become like children you will never
see the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child,
he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one
such child in my name receives me.
Matthew
18: 3-5
I first met Richard when he was six weeks old. He was born three
months before a normal due date and weighed in at 1 1/2 pounds. His
mother left the hospital after delivery and was never seen again. His
grandmother said she wanted no part of another of her daughter's
children.
And so Richard spent the first six months of his life at Children's
Hospital in Detroit. He developed well physically, but his
prematurity left him totally blind. A foster family took him in when
he left the hospital. This was a family that took foster children on
a regular basis. They were a couple with two children of their own
and these children were in their teens. They fell in love with
Richard and, though they knew they would give up their opportunity to
continue fostering, they decided to adopt him.
It turned out to be a huge battle for them because they were "white"
and Richard was "black." They won - after a long battle
through the courts. The court stated that because he was blind he
wouldn't know the difference between "white" and "black."
His new family decided to raise him with love and honesty - a
knowledge of where he came from. I saw a lot of Richard over his
formative years. It was wonderful to watch him develop. l remember
calling him in the winter when he was about 15 years old. He was
going skiing with some friends. l told him that the moguls in the
snow scared me. He said, "what, are you a chicken." He did
well in high school and received 3 scholarships with an option to go
to either MSU or UM.
Lord, help
us to love one another, forgive one another, and accept one another.
Pat Manatrey
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