Oddie Believes Different Is Beautiful
One afternoon, a ten-year-old boy, disfigured and having difficulty speaking, drew my attention to the TV that usually keeps me company with mindless chatter as I work in my solitary world. He sat crooked in his wheelchair and made sure every strained word meant something.
Moved by the boy’s passion, his words have stayed with me for several years and have led to the birth of Oddie.
The boy asked, “Why do people look away when they see me? Do I frighten them?”
His words struck my heart when he said, “When I was young, a mother pulled her daughter away from me before the girl could smile back. All I wish for is to be noticed and to have smiles come my way. I believe it was the mother who scared her own daughter. It cost me many hours of happiness. My heart and mind are the same as yours. Just look at me, smile, and say hello. That is all I wish for.”
The boy’s wisdom goes beyond what should be in the playful mind of a ten-year-old. My wish is that children and their parents will learn to accept those who are different as they learn to love Oddie, as I do.
Oddie’s story deals with the real struggle faced by those who are not what some call “normal.” There are more of us who are different than normal, so does that make those who think they are normal different?
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Paperback – $2.00 + 3.99 shipping
Hardcover – $3.00 + 3.99 shipping
