The Unrecognized Ones

Everyone needs to be recognized

 

This weekend, I was blessed to have a little getaway to the mountains.  My children are now grown and working, so it is not often that they get to go away with us much anymore.  My son was able to go with us this time, and I had been looking forward to spending time with him away from the stress of everyday life.  He is currently a college student and is also working two jobs.  So, time spent with him away has become quite rare.  But even though we were on vacation, he still had to get some work done for his college classes. 

 

From the outside, people look at him and think he always has everything together.  Very few know the struggle that he has gone through throughout his school life.  He has always been incredibly smart, but was diagnosed with ADHD and Anxiety in the fourth grade.  This has created obstacles for him that have been incredibly stressful.  Yet, you would never know it.  He has a strength and determination that inspires me. 

 

As his Mother, of course I am proud of him.  But even if he was a stranger to me, I think I would be inspired by what I have seen him overcome.  He doesn’t often break down, and he never shows it to the outside world.  Most people assume that he never has problems.  But he endures stress like everyone else.  Maybe even more sometimes because he is also battling his learning issues. 

 

I have seen him sacrifice time with friends to do his homework.  He has given up vacations with family to maintain good grades and go to work.  I have seen him struggle with self-doubt and thinking he wasn’t smart enough to handle college.  But he has overcome all of it.  He is now getting ready to start his last semester of college.  In some ways, it is even harder now.  He is taking classes that are much more difficult and time-consuming than before.  But he keeps going.  He is an inspiration to me.  Because I have seen him endure when many of his friends quit college.

 

He has certainly experienced trials and tribulations.  But he has overcome so many things.  He is a long way from that fourth grader who couldn’t even pay attention in class.   He has grown into a responsible young man that I am extremely proud of.  Not just for his accomplishments, but because he has become a man of endurance, strength, and kindness.  He is a human that I am proud to have in my life, regardless of him being my son.  He is an example of an overcomer.  He is an example of someone who keeps trying even when he has a setback.  Most of all, he is someone who has a great character and the perseverance to keep going when things are difficult.  He is an example to me that I can keep going even when I want to give up.  And that I can do things that I thought were too difficult.  He is an encourager of others who are struggling.  He quietly moves forward even if the pace is grueling sometimes. 

 

Sometimes, he isn’t noticed or even acknowledged because he rarely complains.  But he is someone that I wish the world would become more like.  The world is filled with people who give up.  It is filled with complainers and victims.  Most of which seem to be the only ones who get noticed.  I wanted to share a little about him today because he is special.  And he deserves recognition for all he does to improve his surroundings.  If you are someone who works hard and feels unrecognized, I am saying, “Thank you”.  For all of you are who make the world bearable for the rest of us, even if people forget to tell you.