A story is told about a soldier who was
finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam.
He called his parents from San Francisco.

"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've got a favor to ask.
I have a friend I'd like to bring with me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know the son continued,
"he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped
on a land mined and lost an arm and a leg. He has
nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son.
Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what
you're asking. Someone with such a handicap
would be a terrible burden on us.
We have our own lives to live, and we can't let
something like this interfere with our lives.
I think you should just come home
and forget about this guy.
He'll find a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone.
The parents heard nothing more from him.
A few days later, however, they received a call
from the San Francisco police. Their son had died
after falling from a building, they were told.
The police believed it was suicide.

The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were
taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son.
They recognized him, but to their horror they
also discovered something they didn't know,
their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us.
We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or
fun to have around, but we don't like people who
inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable.

We would rather stay away from people who
aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.

Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way.
Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that
welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how
messed up we are.

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say
a little prayer that God will give you the strength you
need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be
more understanding of those who are different from us!!!

There's a miracle called -Friendship- that dwells in the
heart. You don't know how it happens or when it gets started.
But you know the special lift It always brings and you realize
that Friendship Is God's most precious gift!