I was in a local grocery store the other day when suddenly I heard the sound of breaking glass behind me. I turned around to see what had happened. A young mother had turned away from her shopping cart for a second to look in one of the freezers. That second was all it took for her growing, baby boy to test out his new found ability to grab and lift things from his seat in the cart. Unfortunately, the big jar of spaghetti sauce was more than he could handle. I smiled when I walked back to help and saw the look of utter surprise on his face. His arms were still outstretched where the jar had been a few seconds before. On the floor below the puddle of red was slowly oozing across the aisle. After making sure that both Mom and baby were alright I headed down the aisle to get help from a store employee. As I glanced back at them, though, I saw something that truly warmed my heart.

The baby had finally taken his eyes off the shattered jar and looked up at his Mom. Instead of scolding him or even giving him an angry look she smiled down at him with eyes full of gentle understanding and unconditional love. Her tender gaze and kind smile never changed either not even when a friend gave her some good natured teasing about the mess. I knew then that this Mom was going to give her son a lifetime full of laughter and love.

I think that God must smile down on us with that same look at times. We are His beloved Children and yet as hard as we try we often make a mess of things too. We want to learn to love. Still, we stumble, fall, let important things slip through our fingers, and even break a few hearts along the way. God never gives up on us, however. He forgives us and fills our hearts, souls, and lives with His gentle understanding and unconditional love. May we all learn to love each other as He loves us. May we all learn to live our lives in joy, laughter, love, and understanding.

Joseph J. Mazzella joecool@wirefire.com