I don’t want to be judged for my short comings and am willing to change my ways, but I realized that I need to be doing better after watching the Serbia video.  As we were watching those heartbreaking scenes from Serbia, I thought, "How could they do such a thing."  I wondered why they couldn't see how wrong it was to put these special individuals in such appalling conditions.  A thought occurred to me at that moment (aka the Spirit), that when I avoid contact with people with disabilities because of my fears and insecurities of how I should interact with them, which I am unfortunately guilty of, I am in essence doing the same thing to them as the people of Serbia.

So, how do I overcome my fears and insecurities, I wondered.  I decided knowledge is going to be the key for me to overcome my hesitations to interact with disabled persons.  It goes along with the scripture, “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”  The more prepared I am with knowledge about the person, along with their strengths and weaknesses or needs in general, the more I will be able to interact with them successfully.  Then I need to learn about any specific disabilities that they may struggle with, which I am hoping will come in time as I complete this class.  When I don’t know where to start, I can remember that they are spirit children of our Heavenly Father, and that their spirits inside of their bodies are just as perfect as mine, and treat them with love and kindness that they deserve.

 I don't think that I can ever forget those scenes or the personal learning that came from them.  I realized also that I could help be the advocate for all the children in my classrooms, but especially for those that can't speak up for themselves to begin with.  I am not afraid anymore.  I am willing to reach out to all, without holding back in fear of myself.