Putting things in Perspective

The other day I had the pleasure of visiting a special ed. classroom of severely disabled students at a local elementary school. I say that this was a pleasure because it really made me realize how lucky most of us are, though we may not realize it. I was placed with this teacher to do my student teaching in the spring. Once I got there, I realized that I would not be able to stay in this classroom because these students don't learn from a lesson plan, like my school is teaching me how to do. Instead, these students are learning how to press a button, how to look at themselves in a mirror, and how to respond when their name is called. One student dropped a crayon, bent down, and picked it up- a skill that took his teacher 3 years to teach him how to do.
I thought about how these children were put into this position; either something their mother did during her pregnancy, or perhaps just bad luck. This revelation kind of threw my karma belief out the window. What did these kids do to deserve this kind of life? They're happy in their own way; like when the teacher took a boy's brace off his feet so he could lay down. He laughed so hard and was so happy to be free of that brace, without it he has no control over his body movement. so he was picked up, and strapped to a cot so he could take a nap without hurting himself or anyone else. These kids' parents will probably never hear them say 'I Love You' or 'Mommy', and that just broke my heart. I couldn't imagine never hearing that from your own child, a person you love unconditionally.
The children in this classroom exist all over the place, and I think it's great that they have a classroom to go to where they can learn some skills, even if it is as simple as pushing a button, and they can be loved all day. It made me realize how lucky I am to be able to do the things I do everyday, without thinking twice about it- like getting out of bed in the morning. Being in this classroom put things in perspective for me, and made me realize not to sweat the small stuff, but be thankful that I have stuff to sweat.