Today I am sharing a Blog post from a young lady that I have known since birth.
She also happens to be one of my daughter Terrill's best friends! They grew up together & are the best of friends.
If you will click on this link it tells a little short story about them.
Vanessa & Terrill
She has her own Blog which you might enjoy also.
http://theeasefullife.blogspot.com/2011/09/our-little-comedian.html?spref=fb
Please read it will make you stop & look at yourself & wonder how you would react???
Through My Daughter's Eyes
by Vanessa Shinn on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 9:39pm
Ryan, Cecilia and I went on our first family vacation in August. We had a wonderful time and made a lot of fun memories. It was so incredible to watch Cecilia see the ocean for the first time and see her delight when the waves crashed into her. I will cherish those moments for ever. But more than any of those experiences, there is one that I know I will love sharing with Cecilia as she grows up.
We sat down on the train one morning to head to Boston. Cecilia instantly looked at the woman seated across from us and smiled excitedly and started waving and saying "hi, hi"! The lady lifted her head up from the window she was leaning against and her face lit up! She was obviously overjoyed by Cecilia's greeting. She started talking to Cecilia and asking about her age and her name, etc. The woman came over and showed us a picture of her "baby", it was a dirty mutt, but she was proud to call him hers, clearly this dog was her family. Cecilia was loving the conversation with this woman and even reached her arms out for her a few times. If I had let her, I have no doubt that she would have happily sat with this woman. Cecilia knew one thing, this lady LOVED her and wanted to share this train ride with her - so Cecilia made a friend - simple as that. I loved it, and was so proud of my baby for her friendliness.
The beautiful thing about this incident is that this lady was dirty. She had maybe two random teeth left, her hair was matted, she smelled like urine, and her clothes were probably the only ones she owned. She was pulling a cart with four cans of beans in it, I am guessing that was all she had money for or why wouldn't she have filled her cart? She was, by all physical appearances, a disgusting woman. But to Cecilia - she was no different than me.
A few times during the train ride, the woman held her arms out to her wanting to hold Cecilia. I held Cecilia tightly, pretending not to notice what she was wanting. I told myself that it was because I would never let a stranger hold her; I was just being a responsible parent. But deep down, I wondered if I would have reacted differently if she had been clean and "normal".
I have not been able to let go of that train ride since the day it happened. First, how beautiful the world must be when your eyes are free of the prejudices and arrogance that this world will someday blur your vision with. How can I teach my child to love, when I'm showing her how to judge? Secondly, what a very fine line there is between that woman and myself. I could have easily been that woman. I have no idea what her story is. It’s very likely, that the only difference between me and her was that I had a supportive family and she didn't. Maybe she was just like me when she was young, the whole world at her fingertips - one accident or mistake or health problem could cost anyone their job. Perhaps she had a husband who didn't stand by her when she was at her worst, maybe things just kept spinning downwards until she couldn't seem to pull herself back up. If you have no family to help you during hard times, hard times are much harder. Maybe this lady made bad choices and that is why she is there today... but I don't know that, and honestly, I have made plenty of bad choices in my life, I just seem to never catch the worst of what could happen.
I may not feel like coming to work every morning...but I was thinking on my way to work today how grateful I am for my job. How blessed I am to have a job at all and especially one that lets me stay home with my baby when she's not feeling good. I have done nothing in my life to deserve all the huge blessings I have been given and each morning as I am pulling away from my cozy home, I am overwhelmed by that incredible gift. I may not be rich, but I was born with a silver spoon. I was born into a life of the greatest privilege – one of love, security, encouragement and most importantly, a family who would never let me fall without picking me up and holding me. My circumstances don't make me any better of a person than the woman on the train. I wish I had given her a hug that day, I wish I had told her not to give up. But I was a coward and it took a 16 month old baby to show me that. I'm so glad Cecilia got to spread her joy to that woman, and in some way I think she might have made a difference in her life...even if it was for just a moment. Cecilia Juliette, you are only 16 months old, but your smile is already changing the world - I know, because you started with mine.
We sat down on the train one morning to head to Boston. Cecilia instantly looked at the woman seated across from us and smiled excitedly and started waving and saying "hi, hi"! The lady lifted her head up from the window she was leaning against and her face lit up! She was obviously overjoyed by Cecilia's greeting. She started talking to Cecilia and asking about her age and her name, etc. The woman came over and showed us a picture of her "baby", it was a dirty mutt, but she was proud to call him hers, clearly this dog was her family. Cecilia was loving the conversation with this woman and even reached her arms out for her a few times. If I had let her, I have no doubt that she would have happily sat with this woman. Cecilia knew one thing, this lady LOVED her and wanted to share this train ride with her - so Cecilia made a friend - simple as that. I loved it, and was so proud of my baby for her friendliness.
The beautiful thing about this incident is that this lady was dirty. She had maybe two random teeth left, her hair was matted, she smelled like urine, and her clothes were probably the only ones she owned. She was pulling a cart with four cans of beans in it, I am guessing that was all she had money for or why wouldn't she have filled her cart? She was, by all physical appearances, a disgusting woman. But to Cecilia - she was no different than me.
A few times during the train ride, the woman held her arms out to her wanting to hold Cecilia. I held Cecilia tightly, pretending not to notice what she was wanting. I told myself that it was because I would never let a stranger hold her; I was just being a responsible parent. But deep down, I wondered if I would have reacted differently if she had been clean and "normal".
I have not been able to let go of that train ride since the day it happened. First, how beautiful the world must be when your eyes are free of the prejudices and arrogance that this world will someday blur your vision with. How can I teach my child to love, when I'm showing her how to judge? Secondly, what a very fine line there is between that woman and myself. I could have easily been that woman. I have no idea what her story is. It’s very likely, that the only difference between me and her was that I had a supportive family and she didn't. Maybe she was just like me when she was young, the whole world at her fingertips - one accident or mistake or health problem could cost anyone their job. Perhaps she had a husband who didn't stand by her when she was at her worst, maybe things just kept spinning downwards until she couldn't seem to pull herself back up. If you have no family to help you during hard times, hard times are much harder. Maybe this lady made bad choices and that is why she is there today... but I don't know that, and honestly, I have made plenty of bad choices in my life, I just seem to never catch the worst of what could happen.
I may not feel like coming to work every morning...but I was thinking on my way to work today how grateful I am for my job. How blessed I am to have a job at all and especially one that lets me stay home with my baby when she's not feeling good. I have done nothing in my life to deserve all the huge blessings I have been given and each morning as I am pulling away from my cozy home, I am overwhelmed by that incredible gift. I may not be rich, but I was born with a silver spoon. I was born into a life of the greatest privilege – one of love, security, encouragement and most importantly, a family who would never let me fall without picking me up and holding me. My circumstances don't make me any better of a person than the woman on the train. I wish I had given her a hug that day, I wish I had told her not to give up. But I was a coward and it took a 16 month old baby to show me that. I'm so glad Cecilia got to spread her joy to that woman, and in some way I think she might have made a difference in her life...even if it was for just a moment. Cecilia Juliette, you are only 16 months old, but your smile is already changing the world - I know, because you started with mine.
Hebrews 13: 2
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