You know how you watch the news, or get on social media, and you suddenly find yourself thinking that the world is quickly going to hell in a hand basket? Friend this is no place to stay.
Today I took Noah back to watch his daddy’s football practice, and getting Noah out of the car is a little bit of a process. I open his sliding door, and I open the hatch. I walk around to get the stroller out and unfold it. I put on the headrest and make sure the straps are out of the way.
As I was in this process, a man walks by watching. He’s trying to act like he’s not watching, but I tend to notice those things, while acting like I don’t notice. He walks on by and opens his car door, then he closes it and walks back toward the building.
It’s about this time when I’m reaching for Noah, and he calls out, “Is there some way I can help you?”
“No, sir,” I answer with a smile, “but I sure do appreciate your checking.”
Because I do. I really, really do. I don’t really need a lot of help getting Noah in and out of the car these days. But the kindness of a stranger going out of his way to walk back into a building just so that he can ask me if he can help is all the help I need.
You think that type of kindness isn’t common these days? That’s the second time it’s happened this week. In the same spot. The man the other day that asked if he could help me get Noah into the van was also parked in a handicap spot. He had a veteran tag. A man with a knee problem, or a back problem, or shrapnel still hanging out causing him pain somewhere wanted to help me put Noah in the car.
So while, my arms, and my legs, and my back, and my brain don’t need help getting Noah in and out of the van these days, my heart sometimes does. Because while the news tells me that the world is going to hell in a hand basket, people out in the world see Noah, and they show us kindness.