Todays Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

[Guest guest]

He Taught Us to Love

By Arline McGraw Oberst

Proudly I watched Russ, with his characteristic boyish grin, leave his

seat

to speak to a gathering of nearly two hundred people. A tear, bursting with

joy

and triumph, trickled softly down my cheek.

Russ was a lovable kid with a myriad of communication challenges - a

speech

impediment, dyslexia, auditory and large motor problems, mixed dominance and

two

left feet to boot. But today he is walking confidently, standing tall to

make

an acceptance speech for having been chosen one of the " Outstanding Young

Citizens " in Ocean County, New Jersey, because of his phenomenal volunteer

service in the tightly knit town of Toms River.

As I listened, I closed my eyes. A few seconds later, I could hear his

voice as a youth saying, " You know what I mean, " when he couldn't pronounce

a

word. He struggled valiantly to learn what those words meant. I closed my

eyes

even tighter, remembering a cheerful fourth-grader telling me how he had to

make

a speech about his science project and how the very thought of it made his

heart

beat " really fast. "

I found myself recalling other memorable moments. Like the days when I

used to help out with Meals on Wheels. I'd run in and make the delivery

while

my volunteer partner stayed with Russ in the car. Or the times I directed a

children's chorus and he'd be right there tugging on my leg. My mind was a

blur

of warm images of Russ as a loving, caring youth, a gentle soul, accepting

his

challenges. And now, as he stood at the lectern, I knew his heart must be

racing.

As Russ continued his speech, I thought about the fateful day he was

diagnosed with all those impairments and how proud his tutors would be if

they

could see him today. Here he was at twenty-nine, being honored for ten

years of

service as a volunteer fireman. Russ was responsible for organizing

clothing

drives for the homeless, teaching preschool children about fire safety, and

for

playing a sensitive Santa Claus for terminally ill children by driving up in

a

fire truck.

At the end of his speech, Russ thanked his parents for giving him a

good

life ? for instilling him with self-esteem and for teaching him about morals

and

integrity. Then, pausing for a few seconds, he looked intently at his

audience.

He took us by surprise by touching lovingly on the loss of his nephew,

Austin

Lee Hanning. Austin was just three years old when he died from a rare and

incurable disease.

At that moment, I had to close my eyes again before I unleashed a

different

set of tears. A hush fell over the room as Russ dedicated his volunteer

award

to Austin's memory. He concluded his speech by lifting the audience up with

the

compassionate warmth of these words, " Austin taught me how to love. "

I was in awe as I saw this young man come full circle ? from dreading

the

thought of learning and speaking words, to holding an audience spellbound by

his

inspired speech.

What made the occasion even more special was the fact that Russ, who

never

made it as the star of the football team, and who had never been voted " most

likely to succeed, " had risen to be a true " star " in his community.

Russ became a man of strong character by his unselfish dedication and

service to others. Labeled perceptually impaired, Russ now sees and acts

clearly with his heart. His words and deeds inspire everyone who knows him.

It

is Russ, our son, who " has taught us how to love. "

This time, my heart was beating " really fast. "