I heard a preacher say, "To dwell above, with the saints we love, oh won't that be glory...To dwell below, with the folks we know, now, that's another story!" Someone else said..."Living would be easy, if it were not for people!"

I work for a company that manufactures pharmaceuticals. The company started about four years ago. Although it has experienced rapid growth, there is still a real closeness among the employees who have been there from the beginning.

Of course, everyone knows about my daughter, Samantha. To know me, is to know Sam. Like any other parent, I talk about her constantly. Everyone knows she has special needs, and continually want to know about each "new adventure" in her life.

Recently, as I was preparing to enter the building, I pulled out my wallet to get my "alarm card".(You run it through a scanner to gain access to the building.) As I removed the card from my wallet, a lady I have worked with, for the past three years, said, "Oh, let me see a picture of Samantha!"

Having several, I flipped my wallet open, and began to show her all the different pictures of Samantha. "You know", she said, as she went from picture to picture, "You would never know...I mean, by just looking at her in these pictures...she looks completely normal!"

As I closed my wallet, I felt a tremor from somewhere deep inside me. I felt myself wanting to reply to this co-worker's comment by saying, "DO YOU REALLY THINK SO...CAUSE YA KNOW, I TOLD THE PHOTOGRAPHER WHO TOOK THOSE PICTURES TO BE SURE AND TRY TO CAPTURE HER NORMAL SIDE!"...or..."GEE THANKS...YOU HAVE TO USE A SPECIAL KIND OF FILM TO KEEP THE DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS FROM BLEEDING THROUGH!!!"

As I watched the woman walk down the hall, I pulled my wallet back out, and looked at the pictures of Sam. As I stared at the photos, I realized that, although I had been caught off guard by this woman's remarks, Samantha experiences this kind of behavior every day...with every single person she comes into contact with. And, in every instance, simply smiles, and takes it all in stride.

As I followed the woman down the hall, I found myself having to agree with her. I mean, to just look at her pictures, you would never know...Samantha does look normal. But, Sam is so far beyond normal...once you catch a glimpse of the real Sam.