Friends Without Judgment

 Dear Mahala,

I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I like to replay the memories I have of growing up with you. I remember playing on the treadmill at your house for hours on end because we thought it was a toy. I remember the dark turquoise slide in your backyard. I remember helping out in your class at school. Most of all, I remember how much you loved everyone.

Those memories became more vivid this week when my son met a new friend at Petey's dance class. You see, Spidey is drawn to anyone playing on an electronic device. He quickly saw that Jordan had an iPad and he ran over to him. At first, Jordan wasn't happy. His sensory issues make it so he gets agitated when people touch him. Spidey snuggled up close to him and Jordan tried to make him go away. When Jordan's mom told him that Spidey looked up to him {Jordan is going into 9th grade this year and Spidey likes playing with big kids}, he looked up with a huge smile and said, "Mom, now I have two best friends!" He seemed so delighted that Spidey was his friend. For 2 hours, they played games together on the iPad. Since Spidey is overly touchy, Jordan decided it was ok for Spidey to touch his shirt, just not his skin. I could see Spidey trying to refrain from touching Jordan too much. They laughed together, talked about their likes, and played Memory over and over and over. Any time Spidey would cheat and take 2 turns in Memory, Jordan would start a new game because you can't cheat!

I watched them sit side by side, playing and laughing together and I realized how soft Spidey's heart is. He has no idea that Jordan is any different than other kids. He has no idea that Jordan might have a hard time making friends. All he knows is that Jordan is his new best friend.

He left the dance studio with a huge smile on his face. Spidey loves making new friends. I don't think he could ever have too many friends. I hope to see more of him and Jordan together because it made me happy to see him with a role model like Jordan. I want my son to grow up loving others without judgment. I want him to know what it's like to be friends with someone like you. I wouldn't trade the 12 years we were friends for anything. I think about the day I'll get to see you up in Heaven and I know it will be a happy reunion.

Thank you for everything you taught me.