Be the change you want to see in the world: A Lesson From an Angel

I took my daughter to one of her favorite restaurants for dinner. When we sat at our table, she leaned towards me and whispered in my ear, “Mommy there is an older lady in the back all alone, and my heart breaks to see this.  I have seen her in the past, and she is always alone.”

I asked her, “What would you like to do?”

She said, “I think it would be good to have her join our family at the table, this way she will not be alone.” 

She got up from her seat and proceeded cautiously to ask the lonely lady to join us.  When she got close enough, she asked in the sweetest of voice,

“Hi, I noticed that you are all alone, would you like to join our family at the table?”

The lady’s face lit up.  It was as if her soul was suddenly imbued with life.  The lady’s face who was pale and tired all of the sudden had new vigor in it.  The lady’s smile lit up the room.  She looked at my daughter and said,

“Thank you dear, but I am going to stay here just a little longer.”

My baby left the lady’s side back to our table.  I could see my baby girl was emotional.  I told her that what she did was the most amazing gesture of kindness and that she should be proud of her amazing heart and to never change.  Every so often the older lady would look up towards our table, and smiling, her eyes focused on my daughter.  We could all see the lady’s happiness because someone cared enough to not only noticed her but made her feel she matter to someone.  At the end isn’t this what each of us want? To know, we matter to someone?

I looked at my daughter with the deepest of admiration for such an unsolicited selfless act of kindness.  I too was there and yet, I never noticed another human being alone in the way my daughter did.  Whether the lady did or did not end up coming to join us, it’s not the point.  My daughter felt good about herself, and she made someone else feel less forgotten and more special. One simple act of kindness can change someone’s day, life and world.

In that simple, selfless act, my daughter teaches all of us a lesson.  We can choose to be the light our planet needs.  We can choose to be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people.  If my ten-year-old intuitively knew this, then there is hope for humanity.  The true nature of human beings is not to compete, fight, kill or destroy, but rather to care, love, protect and cooperate.

We all have the opportunity to express love, to show goodness, mercy compassion, understanding, peace,  joy, forgiveness, patience, strength, and courage.  Each of us can be a helper in time of need, a comforter in time of sorrow, a healer in time of injury, a teacher in a time of confusion and an inspiration in a time of despair.

We have the power to show the world the worse of humankind or the greatest of human nature.  The choice is yours alone!

The beautiful thing about this game called life is that we are all linked.  We are one single energy and as such one can’t help another human being without helping himself.

Let’s be the change we want to see in the world.

With gratitude,