My son has severe allergies.  They are so bad that he is sometimes limited in where he can go and what he can do. While he can handle going into most stores for a limited period of time and can usually handle the library, he has trouble visiting people's homes.  We've visited several places and if they have carpeting, he just can't stay long.  We do have some carpeting in our home, but it is short berber and relatively new.  I'm not sure if it's the dust mites that get him or food residue (as both are problems for him). 

He also has a life-threatening allergy to dogs and cats. I know, you've probably never heard of such a thing.  I hadn't either until we saw the allergist after his eyes got blisters on them from a dog lick. 

Talk about heart-stoping panic. 

(I'll spare you the shots of the hives and red marks on the rest of his skin. I have a hard enough time looking at this picture.)

Needless to say, people with in-home pets are not friends we can visit.  Unless they are very careful about their clothing, they can't even visit us. 

 As soon as she learned of my son's limitations, my neighbor became very diligent in making sure her children understood just how serious our situation was.  Many times they've come over to visit and before coming in announced "I've washed my hands and changed my clothes." or "Phoenix (the betwen neighbor's dog) tried to get to me but I didn't touch him because I knew I was coming here."  What sweet and thoughtful children! 

Yesterday one of the girls came over to play.  The kids were playing outside in the snow and I quickly noticed she was not wearing gloves.  So I asked her where they were.  She had taken them off  before she came over because a neigborhood dog had licked them.  This sweet little girl fully intended to freeze her hands off just to keep my son safe.  I nearly cried.  I of course found the dear a pair of gloves to wear and the kids had a great time playing outside an later inside the house.  But I was just so touched by her thoughtfulness that I had to share. 

I am also so thankful to God that he prompted me to step outside my comfort zone and "make friends" with the family down the street.  These are the only children/parents who have ever really been willing  to take the steps necessary to make playtime safe for my son.  We get a lot of "Hey you wanna' meet at McDonald's? Oh yeah, you can't." Or "Hey you want to come over? Oh, yeah we have a dog so you can't."  Don't get me wrong, these are good people too, they just can't seem to find a way around our limitations.  And I tend to be an introvert, so it's real hard for me to ask someone to come over and give them a list of restrictions a mile long.   

So I thank God that he put this family with this very thoughtful mom and her children on our street. 

If you meet someone and it seems like working out the details of getting together is just too hard.  Remember, nothing is impossible with God.  Children with special needs need friends too.  And a child with very few friends will treasure those that he has even more.