Notice Them

When my daughter was 4, she went through a phase where she hugged random people everywhere we went. It was cute and scary at the same time. 😆

One day we were at the store and there was an old man holding a nutcracker. Delighted, she ran up to him and exclaimed, "That's a nutcracker!" He said, yes it is, and then she THREW her arms around him. I cringed a bit! He looked surprised and then smiled. Then he said, "I haven't had someone hug me in a long time!" 

❤️

As we left, my daughter shouted after him, "You're the best!"

(And then we had a talk about boundaries & strangers, ha!)

It's funny how young kids have no preconceived notions. Too often I avoid eye contact with others, and yet kids don’t think twice about it. They unabashedly stare! They’re curious & sincere, (& in some cases very open about their affection!)

They notice others!

I felt a prick in my heart as I read what Moroni saw about our day. He saw us "walk in the pride of [our] hearts." (Mormon 8:36) He saw us "love money, and [our] substance... more than [we] love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted." (37) And he asks us WHY! Why do we "suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick, and the afflicted to pass by [us], and notice them not?" (39)

Do I notice? Am I in my own little world? Always in a hurry? Who is passing by?

 A couple summers ago I was riding the subway in New York, and there was a girl sitting across from me looking at her phone. Suddenly, tears started streaming down her cheeks. She cried & cried. I felt her pain! Something was wrong!

I looked around- was anyone going to do anything, say anything? Nobody did anything. Nobody said anything. And neither did I.

When I saw we had the same stop, I thought- this is my chance! 

But I said nothing. 

The moment passed and she was gone.

I thought of her all day with regret!

I told myself never again!

I must do better.

“Christ sees people deeply... where others saw a man possessed by devils, Jesus looked past the outward distress, acknowledged the man, and healed him. Even in our busy lives, we can follow the example of Jesus and see individuals.” Sis. Craig