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
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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