It is the little things

I have always known that some of the best things in life are the smallest. A smile, a gentle touch, a kind word. They all have the ability to make a difference in someones day. Maybe you smiled at somebody who was having an awful day and it was enough to make the person feel better and know they are not alone. You would not even know how much your kind words may mean to somebody.
Today we went to the park. It was a nice day out and I was feeling good and figured a quick trip to the park would be good. I took Sterling and Curtis. Sterling ran off to play with other kids and Curtis sat by my side. He is shy and often feels like he does not fit in. He was waiting to see if there were other kids around his age to play with. He did not see any. After a few moments he saw a teenage girl and her brother playing basketball. Curtis has NEVER played basketball. For some reason Curtis wanted to go ask them if he could play. When he told me this my heart tightened up. People are cruel and because Curtis is different due to his aspergers I just was thinking they would laugh at him or be mean to him. I tried to tell Curtis maybe he could just play with his brother. But he was insistent on asking if he could go play basketball. I was proud of him that he wanted to ask because normally he is too shy to even do that. Well...he went over and asked and they welcomed him into their playing. They were patient with Curtis when he dribbled the ball with both hands and when he would pick up the ball and walk instead of dribbling the ball. They encouraged him to throw the ball and taught him where the out of bounds lines were and how to pass the ball. I sat nearby and watched. It may not have seemed like a big deal to somebody else but for me it brought tears to my eyes. Curtis playing happily just like the other kids. They gave him a chance to play. Curtis is the kindest most gentle person I have ever known. He cries when a bird is hurt. He just can not seem to fit in though. That is fine with me because I love him just the way he is but sometimes it is nice to see the kindness of others. I am sure the teenage girl and her brother have already forgotten my sons name and they probably do not realize how much it meant to Curtis and me that they let him play but for me it is something that seems like a little thing to others but really was a big thing to us.
Curtis is still talking about how fun it was and how he wants his dad to buy a basketball and take him to the park so they can play. Maybe he will never play again or maybe this was just the start of him enjoying to play but it was a big step for Curtis to step outside his comfort zone and by them being nice and kind to him it showed him that there are people who will take the time to be nice.