He Really DOES Know Everyone...

One Friday night in the fall, we...our family...decided to take a short road-trip to another town to watch a football game. It was just Jim and I, and the two boys that are at home...and we were going to check out a new school because of the thing which shall not be mentioned. We knew that having a good football, track and soccer program would be a huge draw for our potential new student...and really, isn't that why parents choose schools for their children...for their SPORTS PROGRAMS?

Silly academics.

So we decided to make it a special night. We went to a favorite restaurant for dinner, and then headed to the game. It was quite different from the 7A school we were coming from. It was VERY small (2-A). No nice bleachers or press-box. No track around the field. No TURF...they actually played on...(gasp!)...GRASS! (I know, right?) One of the first things we noticed was the Contemporary Christian music that was being played before the game. QUITE UNLIKE the music we're used to hearing at our school during the pre-game warm-ups!

Anyway, not-the-point (as Clark would say)...

But the OTHER main thing we noticed from the night was this: from the time we parked and got out of the car, everyone was waving and saying hi...to JOSHUA. We walked thru the parking lot and went to get our tickets...all the while, people were smiling and nodding, saying "hey, buddy" and patting him on the back...one guy even gave him a high-five! Jim looked at me and said, "WOW! He really DOES know everyone!"

We found our seat and "people watched" until the game started. We got a lot of double-takes...you know, people would be scanning their eyes over the crowd, looking for their family or friends, and they would always come right back to us.

ODD, MUCH?

We are used to people looking at us when we go out because, obviously, Joshua has Down Syndrome...and there are just a lot of curious people in this world. Usually, it doesn't bother me...unless it's an obnoxious older kid or teenager who is POINTING at him and talking. Gotta admit...sometimes that gets under my skin. In fact...and this is a time when it did NOT get under my skin...one day, Joshua and I were at The Targets, and there was a mom pushing her kids in a buggy close to where we were walking. I heard the little boy say, in a LOUD WHISPER VOICE..."MOMMMM..." He was looking right at Joshua. "MOM...MOM..." The Mom was preoccupied, but I was thinking, "heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere it comes..." Well, she looks up to answer him and follows his eyes to us. She smiled and began to push her buggy away...trying to be quick about it and trying not to be obvious that she was being quick about it. I think she knew 'it' was coming, too, and wanted to get out of ear-shot so as not to be embarrassed. Or embarrass us. Because, haven't we all been there? Kids will say ANYTHING. When one of my guys was very little, he pointed his chubby little finger at a lady one time and said, "see her, Mom? right there...do you see her? THAT LADY RIGHT THERE? She's gonna DIE."

(sigh)

(the lady was smoking)

Anyway, back to this story...the little boy kept saying, "MOM!" and patting her on the arm. She knew she had to answer him. As we pass by them, I can see his little finger pointing at us...and he goes, "do you see that, Mom? Right there...do you see it? Why is that Daddy shorter than his Mommy!"

Whew! 

Dodged a bullet there! I mean...how cute is that?

Anyway...NOTTHEPOINT

Meanwhile...back at the farm...

Or, the football game...

It was getting closer to kick-off and the little bleachers were starting to fill up.We were sitting on the "home" side. We counted 3 people sitting on the "visitor's" side. As the team was coming out on the field for warm-ups, we noticed a little commotion down on the front row. Not a commotion, really...just a lot of people gathering down there and a lot of laughing and happy talking. When you're at a 2A football game, you pretty much know everyone there! I looked down there and nudged Jim to look as well...and things instantly became a LOT clearer.

There was another "Fred."

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

They think Joshua is THAT KID. All the people who were smiling and waving...and the "high-five guy..." they all thought Joshua was THEIR FRED.

Really?

You couldn't tell them apart? They looked nothing alike!

(besides the shorter stature, cute little ears, beautiful almond-shaped eyes and happy face!)

We had a good laugh about it...and laughed even more after half-time when we got up and left. You should've seen the looks we got when we walked out of the stadium. Like it was a kidnapping in progress!

Psalm 139:13-14 "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!"