佚名/Anonymous
When my husband, John, and I had our first child 20 years ago, we agreed I'd be a stay-at-home mom. That meant we have to make do on a single income. We scrimped and saved so we could keep with the mortgage and our student loans. We ate a lot of macaroni and cheese dinners. We even didn't go to the movies anymore.
I clipped coupons and tracked down sales. Tuesday was when the thrift stores put out their“new”merchandise. Wednesday was when the meat and dairy section goods were marked at half price just prior to their expiration date. Saturday morning meant getting to the garage sales before anyone else. But none of this was unfamiliar. I grew up wanting. So I had set my sights on realistic goals that would get me out of poverty: a college education, a solid marriage and a career. I'd had done it all, yet I still couldn't imagine things would never go right for me. My faith felt more like a safety net than a reason to have hope for a better life.
Things took a turn one day when I got a phone call.“Shelly? This is Bill Porter,”the voice on the end of the line said. Bill was a door-to-door salesman I'd delivered packages for in high school.“Would you be interested in coming back a couple of days a week to fill orders for me?”I talked about it with John, and then went to work for Bill.
The first thing you notice about Bill is his unusual appearance. His ears are very large. He walks—or rather, shuffles—stooped over. His right hand is balled up almost into a fist. And he takes a long time to get his words out. When I was a teen I was too shy to ask about it. But one day after I started to work for him again I posed the question.
“Bill, do you have MS or something like that?”I asked.“I have cerebral palsy,”he answered matter-of-factly. I think he knew I was nervous talking about it.“But... what does that mean? How did you get it? Will it get worse?”“The doctor's forceps damaged my brain at my birth. My condition will never get any worse. But it won't get any better, either. It doesn't stop me from accomplishing whatever I set my mind to.”