A Gift Named Johnny

 Gifts....everyone likes to give gifts and receive gifts, too. Gifts just make you smile. Especially those random gifts that no one suspects they will be getting. Like just the other day a neighbor brought over a bag of chocolates , dark chocolates (which no one likes except me...bonus gift), it made my afternoon. It just amazes me that something so simple can have such an impact.
In bible study we talked about the gift God gave us and the impact that has had on all of our lives. I mean that is the biggest and best gift of all right? No being a topper to that one. But we were curious as to what each of us liked more to give or receive a gift.  Well to be honest I like both. Then we were asked to think about the best gift we have ever received? I thought about things big and things small. I thought of the diamond earrings (that I can't find since we moved last year...shhh...don't tell Converse),  my first trip to NYC on our anniversary( when I wore cute shoes my first day there resulting in the mother of all blisters while pregnant with Nike Girl), the Mother's Day drawings Nike Girl and Weebok made (forever staining the kitchen placemats), or how about the spa day (promises of no more wrinkles nor muscle tension) I was surprised with on my 40th. All of these gifts I have a memory of and cherish. But what was the best gift I have every received?
Then it hit me. Converse and I had been in Denver for four years. We had just bought our first rowhouse that had a mountain view from the master bedroom window. We were loving our jobs (as much as one could love a job) and we were feeling settled. I had no desire to change anything. I decided to volunteer at a tumbling class that was designed for special needs kids. I was a teacher and I thought that would be wonderful to go and help out. I would help them and give them a "gift". So I showed up and was introduced to my partner Johnny. He was a little blond headed boy that had a rare genetic disorder. He could not speak clearly so he had few words. He was physically disabled making a simple forward roll seem like a mountain to climb. He wanted to do a somersault so bad. He worked and worked and worked. I was beginning to think it might just be impossible.
Until a few months later. I remember this like yesterday and it was almost 15 years ago. Johnny tucked his own head under his body and did his first forward roll with my hands their only to guide. He laid there for a moment in a daze, ( I thought maybe I had managed to break his arm or something), then he stood up and raised his arms in the air as high as he could and yelled , "Johnny did it!!!! Johnny did it!!!!" Then he hugged me and signed more. I obviously broke into tears. And with tears falling and excitement greater than I have ever felt, Johnny continued to do 5 more rolls. Then he wanted to go to the trampoline.
That day I had set out to give my time, a gift, to Johnny, but instead I walked away with Johnny giving me a gift I will never forget. It actually changed the path of Converse and I's life. At that moment I went home and began charting out my path to become a physical therapist. We moved from Denver, a gift Converse gave me to pursue my dream. Two years later, living in a spider infested apartment  with lots of Ramen noodles in the cupboard,  I walked across the stage and received my diploma and became a pediatric physical therapist. And thanks to Johnny I have lived a passionate life continuing to receive gifts from thousands of special needs kids. Thank you Johnny!
So I guess you may never know when that one little act of kindness, that one little gift, will make a difference in someone's life. What was the best gift you received? I would love to hear.

Peace.
The "New Balance" Girl

Running Report: I have been hitting the pavement on a regular basis and will be tapering for my half I will run next Sunday. I am excited but nervous because I have not raced officially for a year. Yikes! Hope you are finding cooler temperatures and able to enjoy the great outdoors.I love this time of year.