Her left hand might is permanently locked in place. It resembles a clenched fist. It cannot grasp anything at all.
Birth defect.
One of her legs was affected, too. Everywhere she goes, she slowly shuffles along with a marked limp.
But, it doesn't stop her.
All day long she stocks the shelves at a local retail outlet. How she does it, I do not know. Patience is written all over her face.
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Over the course of a month, upwards of 30 different volunteers drive her to work in the morning. We take her back home in the evening.
It is interesting to watch our passengers and our volunteer drivers as they develop relationships with one another.
Sometimes it's slow, sometimes quick.
Sometimes it's fulfilling, sometimes very frustrating.
Sometimes it's sad. Sometimes it's a joy!
With her, it's always a joy!
She slides into the passenger seat , uses her good hand to pull the seat belt across her lap, then glances over at you with an expectant look on her face. She's waiting on you to take the buckle and snap it into place. If you forget, she says not a word. She keeps trying to do it herself . . . . . . always with a smile on her face!
On the way home in the afternoon, she sings for some of our volunteer ladies. It took her a long time to sing for me, but now she does. Sometimes we sing duets as we drive down the road.
A couple of Sunday's ago, I asked her to come and sing at our church. She smiled and said that she would be very glad to do that.
Come Sunday, we all watched as she slowly limped up the two steps to the platform, placed that useless right hand on the pulpit, squared her shoulders, smilled sweetly, and belted out her rendition of "Hallelujah Square". By the time she got to the second verse we in the congregation felt as if we were enveloped in a cloud of God's Glory . . . !
. . . "Now I saw a cripple, dragging his feet;
He couldn't walk as we do down the street.
I said, "My Friend, I feel sorry for you."
But he said, "Up in heaven I'm going to walk just like you."
Chorus: I'll see all my friends in Hallelujah Square;
What a wonderful time we'll all have up there.
We'll sing and praise Jesus, his glory to share,
And you'll not see one cripple in Hallelujah Square."
No, you won't see one cripple in Hallelujah Square!
To tell you the truth, I stopped seeing her as a cripple a long time ago. She's one most balanced and one of the healthiest people that I have ever known.
But, Lord, how I look forward to the privilege of seeing her when she is with You in Glory . . . swift as the swiftest, strong as the strongest!!!
"We'll sing and praise Jesus, His Glory to share . . .
And you'll not see one . . . . . . . ."
