Friend #18

Lon is the father of five. Two of the five children have special needs. One is autistic and one has Down's syndrome. His other three children are in their late 20s and early 30s, raising families and enjoying their lives. Lon's special needs children are 24 and 31: Danny and Katie.
I met Lon today while I volunteered with four of my students at the Special Olympics in Mesa. We do this every year, and I sparkle with joy as I watch my students interact with the athletes. It's an opportunity for them to be the minority for once. 300 Special Olympians and only a handful of average needs high schoolers. They let their guard down and don't need to look cool when their friends aren't there. They cheer and high-five the athletes after the races. They help them find the restrooms. I get that Mom feeling inside, like I'm truly teaching my students the meaning of life.
Lon allowed Danny and Katie to "school" my students into their world. My students followed them around and by the end of the day, they had become real honest-to-goodness buddies. Lon and his wife have had to put their "empty nest" plans on hold, but they had known that parenting special needs kids would never be just an 18 year job. They have a network of parents who are in the same lifestyle and they seem to really take care of each other. They spend major holidays together, sometimes 3 or 4 families together all at once, opening Christmas gifts together.
My students learned about the school/center where Danny and Katie learn and live. My kids asked Lon if they could help with special events at the center and he actually got tears!
He said what we all say, "Just when I thought teenagers were only thinking about themselves these days, I meet some who are the nicest people in the world." Bless Lon and his family, and bless my wonderful students.