Thoughts for the Day - The heart of a child... Lessons in caring for others

Today I went into the city with my family, and before going home we stopped by a little burger joint to avoid rush hour traffic.  It's a bit of a eclectic part of town to say the least, and has a lot for the eyes to absorb.  In keeping with the surrounding the place we stopped at only has a walk up counter with all windows.  Like usual my daughter wanted to go up and order for herself, but this time she was more enthralled with all the pigeons and then starting noticing all the people around that weren't in line.  She started to tell me how many of them had signs, and that this one boy looked very sad. 

As I was trying to remember the order I was also trying to remain keenly aware of my surroundings, and had a hand on my little girl at all times.  She tried to push my hand a way, but I kept putting it on her as a security blanket trying to protect her from the world.  Finally, we got our order and made our way back to the car.  When we arrived she started looking through her little purse.  I asked her what she was doing, and she said she wanted to give the sad boy some of her money.  After finding what she needed we walked up to this young man, and she handed him some money.  He looked surprised and elated to see this little girl sharing her money with him. 

Afterwards I praised her for her kindness, and then I asked her how she knew what he had written on his sign.  She said, "Daddy he just looked sad, and I knew if he had a sign he needed some money."  During this whole event I was maintaining an awareness of our surroundings which meant sense, but lost sight of the people in need.  It took a child's heart to reach out and care for another.  It amazes me everyday what that little cutie says and does.  I'm thankful that this world still has the heart of children to teach us how to see and care for the needs of others.

Here are some thoughts for your day.  Take care.  Dave

“All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being 

not just with my hands but with my heart.”

― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, 

a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, 

or the smallest act of caring, 

all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

― Leo Buscaglia

“Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection 

- or compassionate action.”

― Daniel Goleman, Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships 

“Some people think only intellect counts: knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion, and empathy.”

― Dean Koontz

“I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.”

― Roger Ebert