This week, like most weeks, has seen its share of some bad stuff. There was the serial rapist who murdered a tech CEO in her home, a teenage male claiming to be female who beat up several young girls, dozens more shot in Chicago, and an actual Nazi given a standing ovation in Canadian parliament.
It's enough to depress and demoralize even the most positive of souls. So before we head into the weekend, I think it would benefit every single one of you that have taken the time to open this article, to take just a couple minutes of your time to meet Gregory.
This now 25-year-old man represents the innocence, purity, and goodness that God always intended for this world. Living with autism, Gregory does not process the sorrowful realities of this life quite like the rest of us. In that sense, though he is culturally regarded as "disadvantaged" or even "disabled," I'd contend his mind operates with a virtuous clarity I could easily envy.
And this video - a now viral clip of Gregory, who loves the Muppets, honoring the 87th birthday of the late Jim Henson by singing "Rainbow Connection" - is the perfect way to cleanse the palette of your heart as we head into a weekend. Don't cut out early. You have the time. Watch the whole thing.
If it isn't the expressions and obvious happiness he feels in sharing the song that is my favorite part, it has to be the faces of all the men working around him who stopped to listen. They had things to do, no doubt. The people on the balcony had things to do. But they realized that absolutely nothing was more important in that moment than hearing those words from that voice.
There's a lesson there for us. It's really easy to get caught up in all the trauma, dissension, anger, and mischief of this life. I do it far too often, and it weighs down my soul - a soul that was made for another time and another place.
I could be wrong, but I think that's why God sends us Gregorys. He sends agents of innocence and love to share their gift with those of us who are weary and embittered by life's challenges. Don't fail to take the time to accept that gift.
