‎"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." – Mother Teresa

I really like this quote and I feel that it is a good one to live by. My whole life I have felt like I was being judged by many people around me. There were many kids throughout my school years that felt the need to tease and bully me. I used to come home many days crying about how and why these other kids could be so cruel to me just because I was different. Everyday that my mom saw that pain in my eyes and face made her want to go down to my school and do anything to make them stop.
The only things that kept her from going down there is knowing that if she did it would only make things worse for me. Kids would tease me about my missing front teeth or how easily I cried or how I was so quiet. There are two events in my life that stand out at the moment in my mind and make me wonder how anyone could treat another human being this way. 
The first is when I was in seventh grade and my English teacher started to question me from the front of the class about why I had written my homework in pencil again when he wanted it in pen. This was one of multiple times that he had done this and he ended up making me cry which caused all the students to start laughing at me. I asked them to please stop laughing at me and one boy in the class made fun of me saying it. You would think this would have been bad enough but then it got worse as the teacher started laughing along with the students in my class instead of making any effort to get them to stop or defend me.
It was right around Thanksgiving that year and this event caused me to consider some thoughts that I knew I should not be having. I will always be thankful that even though the guidance counselor was very busy that day with other students she gave me an appointment right lunch , which I find it funny that I can remember was hot turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy don't know why I remember that. That afternoon she was required to call my mother because i was in danger of hurting myself or others.
I am also thankful that my parents were there for me and helped come up with a plan to help me. I'm not for sure on this detail but I believe I didn't go back to my middle school till after winter break to give me time to deal with things and the school time to make me an entirely new schedule.
The second event that sticks out in my mind actually happened just a few months ago when I was working as a cashier. I made a button that I used to wear when I was work that said "I am not rude, weird, or hyper. I have Aspergers. What's your excuse?" Many of my customers would read it while I was taking their orders and I even had a few tell me they had family members who have aspergers too. One particular day a woman came up to the counter and I said something along the lines of "Hi what would you like?" She responded to this "I'd like you to not be rude to me." Her response shocked me for a second and I politely pointed to the button on my shirt which she read then told me what she wanted to order. After I had taken her order she apologized multiple times for what she had said to me. 
It just baffles me that someone would say something like that when there was nothing rude about what I had said to her in my opinion. My friends and family who have already heard this story have told me that they feel the woman was very rude to have said that to me. I forgave her and I know she only said it out of misunderstanding. I guess I just wish that instead of focusing so heavily on others peoples differences that more people would take the time to get to know others. Sometimes it is better to stop and think about something you are going to say or do and consider what your words might cause. One nice word could save a life and help to start erase the millions of mean words being spread like fire these days. Love has just as much power to change the world but it seems to be forgotten in our fast paced lives.