I’ve been thinking a lot lately about people. How different we are. How beautiful and broken and flawed we are. How stubborn yet patient, cruel yet kind, and gentle yet brutal we can be. In light of all the madness going on in the world right now, what can we really do to make it better? What can we do as a group? What can we do as individuals? What can I do as a stay-at-home mama of a sweet two-year-old boy?
How do I help that little boy understand the world and try to make the very best of it that he can? Part of me definitely wants to hide him away from it. Like, a big part. There’s something on every corner that seems more terrifying than the last. I feel like all I hear is “kids these days…” everywhere I go; sometimes even out of my own mouth. It all feels so overwhelming and really gets the best of me and my already anxious heart.
It feels so hard to understand other people. Look at the faces in the photos of the horrifying news stories and understand the hate, pain and suffering. Where does it come from? What’s happened to these people to cause these things? And so quickly they become “those bad people,” or “the kind of people who do such things.” Losing sight of the fact that we’re all in this together, like it or not, and time and time again “those people” have been forgotten, or abused, or overlooked by the rest of us.
I just finished reading Little Women for the first time in 20 years. It was such a good reminder of how we can try to celebrate the vast differences in each other. Four sisters, all so very different, approaching life in ways that test and try and even grieve each other, but also so often finding the great joy in each other’s strengths.
“Beth ceased to fear him from that moment, and sat there talking to him as cozily as if she had known him all her life, for love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.”
– Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
When I need to muster up a little faith, love and gratitude for humankind l follow my son outside. Watch him spend a warm, autumn afternoon roaming around the yard and picking up all kinds of treasures that appeal to him. Leaves and grass, sticks and rocks, admiring their beauty and storing them away in the pockets of his overalls. Tucking them away for further exploration and admiration. I watch his gentleness as he does his best to tip-toe through the flowers, clunky rubber boots and all.
I see his innate kindness and consideration, the way his face curls up with concern every time someone stubs a toe or pinches a finger. The way he picks up what’s most precious to him in the world, his little metal tractor, and bashfully approaches another child to share his joy. I remember that loving him and helping him love others is the very best way for me to change the world in this stage of life. And while I don’t have all the answers to my many questions about the state of mankind, I can take it one small step at a time.
If you’d like to take one small step at loving your fellow man, here’s just a few ideas:
• Send thank-you notes and/or have the kiddos in your life color pictures for the medical professionals caring for the victims of the Las Vegas tragedy.
Notes can be sent to: Sunrise Hospital
Las Vegas 3186 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89019; UMC Hospital Las Vegas; 1800 W. Charleston Boulevard Las Vegas, NV 89102.
• Donate. Puerto Rico is devastated after the recent hurricane. Visit the United for Puerto Rico webpage (http://unidosporpuertorico.com/en/) to donate and see where your resources are headed.
• Wear a t-shirt. Show your solidarity and help Houston residents get back on their feet after Hurricane Harvey by purchasing a t-shirt by Magnolia Market. Texas Forever Shirt: https://shop.magnoliamarket.com/products/texas-forever-shirt.
