Claudia wrote:

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home from the
war. He called his parents from San Francisco.

"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend
I'd like to bring home with me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know the son continued, "he was hurt
pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm
and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with
us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to
live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone
with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own
lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our
lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy.
He'll find a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing
more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the
San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building,
they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken
parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to
identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their
horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had
only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love
those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like
people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would
rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart
as we are. Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way.
Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into
the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer
that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they
are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are
different from us!!!

If you accept GOD's love into your heart, you will find yourself with
that everlasting supply of love which will make your heart big enough
to love your neighbors unconditionally.

May GOD continue to heal our hearts filling them with HIS love, which
is Christ Jesus' living water, dear sister Claudia whom I love
unconditionally.