When I was a kid and perhaps even still today, I used to make fun of or think differently about the kids on the yellow bus. Those were the “special” kids. They needed extra attention, support, love, and encouragement to mature into productive citizens.

If this is the criteria for riding the yellow, then I should have been on the yellow bus right next to you, because you and I are special too! You and I also need extra attention, support, love, and encouragement to reach our full potential. The only difference between myself and those on the yellow bus was that I received many of those things from home whereas they may have received them primarily from school.

The kids on the yellow bus went to special ed class. Jokes about special ed usually came right after a failed yo’ momma joke. But special ed is a place where your specialness is celebrated and appreciated. Because we live in a culture that forces us to compare ourselves to each other so much, many of our environments like school and work tend to focus on how inadequate we are. For those of us that didn’t ride the yellow bus, I ask, where do you go to realize how special you are? Home? Church? Nature? Friends?

I am special. My yellow bus is the wave of sunlight that I ride on because I have dependable people and places I can go to that make me aware of my specialness. It’s funny but many times our friends think more highly of us than we think of ourselves; that’s why we need them to remind us of who we are. I’m no more special or less special than you or the kids on the yellow bus, but people have different levels of awareness about their specialness, I pray that people and places are in your life to reflect how special you truly are.

Inspired by Rev Oliver & NW