Scary, Slow Jeff

[Kenny]

I ran into this and thought I'd share it.

Scary, Slow Jeff

Let me tell you about Jeff. I met him while back in Iowa for a
funeral. Jeff has a deep, deep voice, and I admit, he's a little scary
looking as well. He doesn't laugh or even smile much, and has a
thick, wide scar that starts at his right eye and disappears beneath his
reddish blonde hair. Jeff has intense, piercing eyes that seem to
burn right through you.

A lot of the folks back there are afraid of him, afraid of what they
fear he might do to them in some imaginary situation. Many others
think he's retarded because he doesn't respond very quickly and
speaks very slowly when he does. Most avoid him like he's a disease
or the worst kind of criminal.

If only they knew Jeff.

Jeff was in a car accident and was almost killed from the head
injuries. He's had to learn to talk again, to walk again, and has
trouble recalling things. His brain doesn't work fast, so he's very
slow and deliberate. Jeff wouldn't hurt them, he'd be more likely to
come to their aid. The car accident is the cause of everyone's fear
and mockery, but that's only part of the story.

Jeff's wife of 20 years left him after the accident. She couldn't handle
the "new" Jeff. She also left their seven children for him to care for,
despite his own tribulations. The oldest boy, about 17 years old, is a
paraplegic, and two other children are deaf mutes. He's in a lot of
pain from his injuries, but manages to care for his family, which,
with the eldest being wheelchair bound, is quite a lot of physical
work. His back hurts all the time from it.

Even that's not all. Jeff fell in love with an old friend of ours, that's
how we met him. She has six children, one of which is also a deaf
mute. Her husband left her for a younger woman years ago. As if
Jeff didn't have it hard enough, he helps take care of her and her
children as well. That's 13 children, four with specialized needs.

I've always tried not to judge people by their looks, the reason
should be obvious by now. Hidden behind Jeff's scary looks and
intimidating presence beats the heart of a gentle and caring man. I
learned a lot in our few hours together. He is a walking example of
a man who has sacrificed much, and still greets each day with sense
of duty and honors his duty to the last minute of the day.

He's not handsome, he's not smart, he's not anything most people
would strive to be...but maybe they should. Jeff is a man with a
tremendous sense of responsibility, with a huge desire to do his best
for others, with a seemingly endless amount of compassion and the
courage to carry on in the face of overwhelming odds. We could all
use a little of what Jeff's got.

I salute the Jeffs of the world. Anyone can lead others down a
trampled path, but it takes real courage and heart to carve your way
through a deep and strange personal wilderness. He may never
have much in the way of material goods in this life, but he is surely
building up a heavenly treasure trove. I only hope when he's old
and worn out, that his children take half as good care of him as he
has them - he'll be fine then.

-BoogieJack

 

[LeetPCUser]

Where did you get that? I was half expecting it to ask to send money to aid him.

 

[Grey_OwL]

Nice read there.

 

[ZuraX]

Lesson: Never judge a book by its cover.

 

[yandig]

He may never have much in the way of material goods in this life, but he is surely building up a heavenly treasure trove.

Yep, I'll bet there are people on this forum who have made (somewhat) similar sacrifices, and nobody knows it. Well, almost nobody