Dear Editor,

In honor of our local children that will participate in the Special Olympics on May 5, I wanted to share the following insight to just how special and how blessed we are to have these special angels in our lives, in the form of a poem I wrote:

“Their eyes are bright and vibrant and full of unspoken promises and of dreams yet to be revealed. In the eyes of these children I see a wealth of possibilities. I spy promises unspoken that are left to my imagination.

“Their tomorrows are something I am humbled by. Their realities are yet to be realized and I am left to ponder their delicate footprint that has yet to be revealed. To me, they are a wonderment that has been woven into an unbreakable web of pure love.

“These children leave us with the amazing gifts of a heavenly father that chooses us to share in the nurturing of one of his true angels. I am humbled by his choosing and wary of my impact. I walk softly, at times holding my breath. I do not want to fail these angels, these gifts.

“I am aware, for reasons, that I have yet to understand that I have been lent a beautiful key that opens a door to God’s amazing love. This love is pure and kind and comforting. It does not discriminate or curse anyone who comes within its sanctified path.

“We are given these seemingly short moments in time to share in one of God’s greatest gifts, the life of a special needs child. If you let them in, they will change you in your core. These beautiful children will make you realize how wonderful our lives are and how much fuller our spirits are for having been lent these miracles.

“These children make us more complete human beings by simply allowing them to touch our hearts. You will have the unfortunate experience of dark days and tremendous moments of grief and misunderstanding. But in the end, when all is said and done, you…we…will be more complete, more whole, more loved, more patient and kinder because we were chosen to meet, touch, hold, hug, adopt, parent, comfort, nurture and most of all love a ‘special needs child.’

“How could we ask for anything more?”

Julie Hunter, Clanton