A fine young man

My friend that I mentioned in my Sunday Scribblings post has a son who I just feel the need to pay tribute to tonight.
This young man is a remarkable person. He has a faith in God that I have never witnessed in one so young. He is quiet in his faith but I can see the light shining in his eyes.
He was born without fingers. In the last 8 years he has had 6 hand surgeries. The surgeons have "built" him workable fingers. I am amazed to watch him type at the keyboard or prepare salad fixings for the evening dinner. While his fingers may not look like what we are used to, they do the required work very well.
He was born with a heart defect. At the age of eight he had an angioplasty. That is the balloon surgery. This has not cramped his enthusiasm for all sports. He does not play on any organized team, but he is first in line for a neighborhood game of pick up. He went on a Boy Scout high adventure trip a few years ago to the high mountains of Utah. Nothing fazes him.
He didn't talk for a good many years. He was under going speech therapy. I guess he thought until he could talk properly he wasn't going to share with us. He is still a quiet introspective person, but when he does speak it is with much thought and enthusiasm.
Three years ago he made the Boy Scout's highest honor of becoming an Eagle Scout. He now is a junior leader. To make Eagle Scout the boy must accomplish certain goals by the time they are 18. He was not yet 17 when he made his.
He graduated from high school last week. It was one of my proudest moments. Each of the graduating students was allowed to say a few words about their school years. He thanked his parents for home schooling him and for instilling in him a love for God. I was glad to have a tissue in my bag.
His plans now are to go to college and major in hotel management. I think this is an ideal occupation for an ideal young man.