Somebody Cares

There is not a person in this world that has not endured struggles in life.  None of us really knows what others are going through.  Many times I think of myself and my struggles.  Lately I am reaching out to more and I focus on ways to encourage others and to let them know that somebody cares.

My Dad was a patient in Cox South Cardio Care Unit.  Despite the fact that it was a stressful time for me, I saw an opportunity to encourage a family in their struggles.  As I stepped onto the elevator to head down to ground level, I saw two beautiful children and their mother.  “We are going the secret way,” said the little 4 year old blonde headed girl, “You are?” I smiled and asked her.  Her little brother smiled and responded, “Yep.”  I looked over to see their Mother standing in the corner of the elevator with tears running down her face.  At that moment I realized I had intruded the Mother’s space to be alone in her sorrow.

Hospitals are sometimes happy places to be such as the birth of a baby and the recovery of a loved one.  Hospitals are sometimes sad places to be.  At this moment it was not a happy place for this young mother.  I decided to encourage the mother through her two beautiful children.  I said, “You have a wonderful Mom!  I bet you two are a big help to your Mom!”  The kids smiled, shook their heads up and down, then Mom affirmed, “Yes they are!”  I smiled.  The elevator door began to open.  As I stepped off I said, “You two take good care of your Mom.  Okay?”  The two children stepped closer to their Mom and put their arms around her and said, “Okay, we will!”

I left the elevator feeling sad not only for this little family, and for myself.  As I continued to walk to the parking lot, I prayed.  My God is BIGGER than any struggle and I knew all would be well.  Mostly, I felt good in my heart with the encouragement I gave.  Recently I read a little story from the book titled, The Law of Happiness, by Henry Cloud.  This sums up exactly how I felt on this particular day.

“I picked her (Olivia) up from preschool, and as we were walking around the neighborhood, she began to tell me about her day.  I asked her about all her activities, and she told me they had made some cookies and for some reason, so she walked over and gave some of her cookies to him (a preschool friend).  I thought that was nice but not earth shattering.  She had shared things before.  What she said next, however, was, “Daddy, something happened.  I don’t know what is it,” she said as she gave me a serious look.

“What, Livi?  What happened,” I asked.

“Well, when I gave Brandon the cookies, I felt something in here. Right here.”  She immediately pointed to her little chest.  “It felt really warm in here.  What was that?” she asked.

When I heard that, I actually felt like I was going to break apart in tears, but I managed to hold them back.  “That was love, Livi.  That is what you feel inside when you give things to people.  It makes you feel nice and warm inside.”

“It feels really good,” she said.  “I want to do that some more.  I like it.”

At the end of each day I ask myself, “What have I done to make someone’s day better?”  It could be just a smile, a few words of encouragement, listening to a friend, making a pie for them, and much more.