for the love of a child

RIP little one.......

"...but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

My heart is like yours, I am sure, full of questions and no real answers. I have heard from both sides, "she was not guilty," "she WAS guilty." No, I wasn't there, but I am there when I see other moms who do not qualify for "Mother of the Year." You have seen them, too, in the grocery stores, yelling at their kids; at the park, as they have no idea where their kids are or what they are doing; in the schools when the kids are clearly acting out because they don't have a voice to articulate what they are feeling, so they act out instead.

Children for some can be an inconvenience and for others are the blessing to their lives. I don't know what category Caylee Anthony fell into, but her mom was young, unmarried and loved to party. She had her parents as a security net to fall back on, but was that enough? We are told to not judge, but yet we feel helpless when tragedy strikes. So what can you do?

I was at the grocery store about a month ago. When I arrived, I heard the plaintive wail of a baby, but dismissed it. I picked out the few groceries I needed and as I paused to look at a display, I realized to my dismay, that baby was still crying, in fact louder and more insistent. Immediately, I parked my cart. This was not right, I thought, and I could only imagine what was happening. As it turned out, the baby was laying on it's back in a grocery cart. It's parents were arguing with a clerk over the proper use of a WIC voucher ( a "coupon" issued to mothers in need of nourishing foods for themselves and their children.) They seemed oblivious to their child's cries. My heart was wrenched as I looked at the child; there were no more tears coming from his eyes, he had been crying that long. I rocked the cart slowly back and forth all the while cooing to him. He stopped crying and gazed at me as I worriedly looked at the parents, the clerk, the supervisor of the store as she also looked flustered by the situation as well. The parents then realized I was there, and nodded. That was all I needed as I picked up the infant and held him, sitting down on the bag area, showing that I had no intentions of going anywhere. The situation took almost 45 more minutes to complete, as their order needed to get straightened out and by then, little baby was sound asleep in my arms. Now, I am well aware that as soon as I touched that baby, those parents could have had me arrested for "kidnapping," and I thank God they realized I was trying to help, because for me, it could have ended horribly. But the point is, if you see a need, answer it, address it, speak up for the children because they don't have a voice of their own. If you know of abuse or neglect in the home, don't just assume someone else will do something. If you know of an older child in need of a friend, or even just a simple conversation, find something complimentary to say. "I like your style of clothes, you sang great in that school concert, your style of writing is wonderful!" It can make a difference!

Just as with other decisions we have heard on the news that to us, just didn't make sense, we can sit in judgement, or we can do something in the memory of that situation to make a difference in this world. You DON'T need legislative approval to be that ripple in the water!

As Mother Teresa said, "we may not always be able to do great things, but we CAN do small things with great love!"