From a very young age I noticed something about my mother and Grandmother that I couldn’t quite place my finger on. Whenever we would be out somewhere and a special needs child or adult would be around they both said the same words to me. “There goes one of God’s special children”. My mom always gave me a gentle push to interact more with these “special kids”. In fact our next door neighbor was one of these “special people” that God had specifically chosen as one of his favorites! Her name was Jenny.
Jenny and I played Barbies just about every day! She had all of the expensive Barbie houses and cars that my mom couldn’t afford. The majority of my Barbies had their heads chewed off by our family dog. We would play for HOURS upon hours in the front yard! I always thought of Jenny as my best friend. I actually felt lucky to know her because she was one of the special people God had chose.
I remember one day while playing with Jenny and our barbies I asked Jenny’s mom how old Jenny was. Finding out how much older she was than myself was strange because people Jenny’s age don’t usually play with Barbies.
That night I confirmed Jenny’s age with my mom and asked her what makes these people “special” to God. Her reply was telling me of Jenny’s innocence. “She will always think of everyone as kind or as “a good person”. Even people who aren’t kind.
I went on to play Barbies with Jenny for years to come and as I got older, I would sometimes walk next door just to visit with her. I remember when I moved away from home and would return to visit, Jenny would get excited to see me. She always made me smile. She made everyone smile.
Jenny played Barbies with me the day I was told my dad was killed. I’ll never forget the comfort of the familiarity I received from her companionship that day. She was my best friend on Blue Ash rd and I loved her.
When I heard of the innocent man that is also one of God’s special children being kidnapped and tortured on a Facebook live video I felt an instant wave of sadness come over me. Not just because of what happened but because he trusted one of the boys that lured him into the van.
May justice be served on the guilty parties. And may we learn to recognize these beautiful souls God has placed his hands upon as reminders of what truth and innocence are.
