Connor and Emma live in the moment.
My daughter relayed a story to me this morning that brought tears to my eyes.
She and her two children were heading home from an event at their school last evening. As they passed the assisted living facility near their neighborhood, they noticed an ambulance and two fire trucks at the facility.
Inquisitive as children are, they asked their mom what was happening. She explained that mostly older people lived there and one of them might need to go to the hospital. She further explained that they have people who take care of them, but sometimes they need things that they can’t get at the home.
Emma was curious about who might be sick but her mom told her she didn’t know. After a moment of silence, Connor who is 6 years old, teared up a bit. He looked at his mom from his backseat view of her and said, “I’ll bet it’s a little old grandma.”
“It could be, but we don’t really know for sure,” she reassured him. Everyone was silent as they continued their drive home.
They returned home in a flurry of activity as they prepared for bed. It was already well past their bedtime since the school event had kept them out later than usual. As Connor was getting ready to go to sleep, he said, “I hope that little old grandma is okay. Is she going to die?” Once again, he was getting teary-eyed.
“We don’t know who is sick or what is wrong with them,” his mom said.
Emma chimed in with a very matter-of-fact comment, “Well we need to pray for that little old grandma.” And that’s exactly what she did.
This morning, Connor was once again concerned about “the little old grandma” and he asked about her. Emma’s response was that she had prayed for her and she would probably be okay. After burying his face into a pillow for a few minutes and saying another quiet little prayer, he responded, “I said a prayer for that little old grandma too and I hope she’s okay.”
The hearts of children
The love and compassion that Connor and Emma felt for someone they don’t even know was overwhelming to me. They recognized that someone was hurting and they wanted that person to be taken care of. Without a moment’s hesitation, they placed that person in their hearts and minds and continue to pray for the person to get better.
As adults, we are often too busy to notice what is going on around us. We often miss the most important things in life, like someone right in front of us who needs a helping hand, a thoughtful gesture, a caring phone call, or just a prayer. Racing around with all of the many demands on our time, checking our email, listening to iPods, texting, and tweeting, takes so much of our time – there is often little time left for others.
Connor and Emma have made me more aware of what is happening around me today and I hope to remember that for days to come. We learn so much “out of the mouths of babes” just by listening.
I think I’ll go phone a friend who recently underwent surgery and let her know I’m thinking of her today. Connor and Emma would be proud!
