Happiness is Caring About Others

Last week, we visited the Dallas World Aquarium.  You can read about our trip here. Afterwards, we went to the Spaghetti Warehouse for lunch.  As we were eating, a young lady walked over and said, "Excuse me, I just wanted to let you know that your daughters are both very beautiful." Of course, we were a little surprised because that sort of thing doesn't happen every day, but we thanked her and she went on her way. I could tell by the way she spoke and by the way the others in her part spoke to her that she had was differently-abled. And I will say she was "special" but not in the way some people might choose to interpret that word.  She was special because it is not normal for one to approach strangers in a restaurant to give their children a compliment. She was special because she chose to go out of her way to do something kind for someone else.  While it brightened my day and touched my heart, it kind of makes me sad, too, that it is the unusual act of kindness that catches my attention. We should be acting this way all of the time.
Something similar happened yesterday at a fast food restaurant.  A women went out of her way to tell me I looked pretty.  I wasn't feeling particulary pretty at the time, hustling my kids through with dinner, in a rush to get home.  But the fact that she took a moment to give a compliment put a smile on my face and made me pause to look around. What "pretty" things am I missing because I'm in a hurry? Again, I think this woman had faced some challenges along her journey but she was making a difference in the lives of others in a way not many of us do.
The last example of kindness I would like to share involves my own sweet child.  During Imma's scrimmage Tuesday, Lucy began playing with another child, a little girl who happens to have special needs.  Lucy doesn't even notice these things.  She was playing peek-a-boo and both girls were putting grass in their hair and spinning around.  Lucy lights up my life because she is naturally giving and caring and kind.  Imma has taught her so many lessons already, even at the age of two, about accepting other people's difference and that it's okay to be different. My new life slogan is, "special is extraordinary!"  Every child is special and unique.  Lucy may be developing like a typical child but she certainly has a gift for making others feel loved and important.

My sweet girl!

These three examples serve as a reminder to me that I need to make time everyday to help someone else feel valued, loved, and to let them know they are important.  I am truly blessed to have two beautiful, caring little girl and dozens of opportunities each day to let other people know they are loved. I hope you will join me in my goal of paying it forward every day and taking the little opportunities to make unusual compliments normal.