Palm Sunday

If he were born in the 2000's the man would have had some big diagnosis of this I am sure. But, rather he was born in 1956... living his life as a normal man without normalcy. How does one do this? I have watched him struggle now for 20 plus years... going from having his own home and a very good job... to really having nothing except the town park bench to draw attention to himself when he is on the flip side of bipolar (he finally did get labeled in about 2001).
Tim was born and raised Catholic. The Methodist church in town has been very good to him also however, so he often times hits mass on Saturday afternoon and then hits the 2nd service on Sunday at our church. It was Palm Sunday 2010. Our Pastor was talking to us all about "praise and worship". What it talks about in the bible about waving palm branches. How earlier in bible times, people waved their palm branches in praise to the King of Kings. Pastor asked us (and himself) to step outside of our box and as we would sing praise songs, we were each given palm branches to wave in the air as an act of worship. As we were filling our small sanctuary with large voices of praise - I saw Tim. There he was - eyes closed, hands up, and palm branches waving in the air as he sang. He was surrounded by the Holy presence of God. And I prayed: Lord, who am I to decide what normal is? Thank-you for my friend Tim. Proctect him with your Love as he goes about his life in this world that doesn't understand. Love him and always keep his heart open and a palm branch in his hands! AMEN