Special Needs Social

Last week Irene took me to her Special Needs Social, Ladies Only, at a branch of the LDS Church (the Mormons).

I don’t have much use for organized religion anymore, but I always go to this one when I’m invited. It’s every Thursday night except in summertime, and whenever I go, my heart gets warmed right up to the melting point. Usually it’s co-ed, with lots of men as well. Each special needs person is assigned a friend, whom they keep through the whole year. These friends are teens and early twenty-somethings who are normal, and this is their special calling in their church. They hold dances, parties with games, and talent shows, just to name a few things Irene gets to look forward to on Thursdays. It’s like Special Olympics, only lower key, and with your own pal who keeps in touch all year. This night was dedicated to Letting Your Light Shine, and we sang songs about how every spirit shines forth, every day. We all went home with little battery-lit candles. Irene wanted me to give her mine, so that she’d have two, but I wouldn’t: I took it home and put it on my nightstand by my bed. Until that battery runs out, I turn it on when we turn our lamps out. It shines there for me, just as a night light would have, if my dad had ever allowed me to have one when I was very young. And I know if I am hit by a truck or simply keel over, there are others who will love Irene and make sure her days go as well as they can.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it over and over, in case you are wondering about Mormons. Do you know what you can do with Mormons?

You can count on them.