Stories of Kindness from Around the World

I had a neighbor when I was a child whose name was Chicky.  He was a good 20 years older than me and he had Cerebral Palsy, quite severe.  He was never able to walk or even use the bathroom on his own, his parents carried this grown man in and out of their home whenever weather permitted.  Chicky would sit outside, strapped in his wheel chair, so he didn't fall out from his spasams. 

His spot in the world was sitting under an apple tree listening to his transistor radio.  I was also limited physically, so I sat with him a lot and we talked.  I don't think many people knew how smart Chicky was.  He used to ask to touch my face and I would stand close to his chair.  He would make this little hoppity motion with his hand and it would strike up against my cheek, and he would be so happy he could hardly breathe.  Now of course I had access to my cheek 24 hours a day and it did absolutely Nothing for me to touch it...but for him it made his day! 

That's something I learned from him -- he couldn't do much at all physically but he didn't let that stop him mentally!  He could take something so simple as brushing against someone's cheek and feel so happy.  Chicky never once came to my house, he couldn't even turn over ,but there was something about his spirit that drew me up the hill and that something is undefinable. Maybe you can put your finger on what it was -- I can only guess it's what venus fly traps have, a draw.   Chicky lived home until his parents were very old and couldn't get him up and down the stairs anymore.  Then he moved to a convalesent home .

Quite sometime later, when I must have been around 27 years old , I looked out my window and I saw a station wagon pull up next door -- Chicky was inside and he was home for the day!  I am not exaggerating when I say I watched his parents grow young again as they got him out of the car.  They had purpose and honor through this reunion AND they had help from his siblings.  The family had a picnic together and Chicky was the life of the party.  The reason for the whole family to gather was Chicky's day home. 

There he was pushing 50: never taken a step in his life, never fed himself or washed himself or dressed himself, never made lunch or love or an enemy BUT HE GOT IT-- what most of us never will, he got the meanaing of life!  How to love and be loved.  I went up the hill that day wantingly and he remembered me and asked to stroke my cheek and it still left him breathless.  I wanted to pay tribute to him today -- Chicky was an honor to know and a teasure I wanted to share.