~*~ A Baby's Hug ~*~
We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat
Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and
talking.
Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi." He pounded his
fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter
and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled
with merriment.
I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man
whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked
out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed
and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his
nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from
him to tell, but I was sure he smelled.
His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi there, baby;
hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik My husband
and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?"
Erik continued to laugh and answer, "Hi." Everyone in the restaurant
noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was
creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby.
Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room,
"Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows
peek-a-boo." Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously
drunk.
My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for
Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring
skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.
We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My
husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot.
The old man sat poised between me and the door. "Lord, just let me out of
here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew closer to the
man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might
be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both
arms in a baby's "pick-me-up" position. Before I could stop him, Erik had
propelled himself from my arms to the man. Suddenly a very old smelly man
anda very young baby consummated their love and kinship.
Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head
upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears
hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back.
No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood
awe-struck.
The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and
set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care
of this baby."
Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone. He
pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in
pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift."
I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my
arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and
holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive
me."
I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny
child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a
mother who saw a suit of clothes.
I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not.
I felt it was God asking, "Are you willing to share your son for a
moment?" when He shared His for all eternity.
The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the
Kingdom of God, we must become as little children."
If this has blessed you, please bless others by sending it on.
Sometimes, it takes a child to remind us of what is really
important. We must always remember who we are, where
we came from and, most importantly, how we feel about others.
The clothes on your back or the car that you drive or the house
that you live in does not define you at all; it is how you treat your
fellow man that identifies who you are.
This one is a keeper.
"It is better to be liked for the true you, than to be loved for who
people think you are......"
This is a share from a online friend and reader Betty Moore,
thanks so much!! What a wonderful message we can all take from this.
God bless us one and all and may we know the greatest gift of all is Love!!
Lovingly In Christ; Linda
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