I was sitting in the Chiropractor's office, waiting for a treatment when this mother and little girl came and sat down beside me. The girl's shoe laces were untied, and she sat dangling her feet from the big chair. She had a stuffed animal in her arms and smiled at everyone gleefully. She was probably about 5 or 6 years old.

The mother looking down at the girls shoes spoke up, "Darling - you need to tie your shoe laces!" "I don't want to." The girl replied without hesitation as she continued to watch the people around her. "I don't care if you want to or not...you need to." the mother spoke up, still using normal conversation tone. "I don't want to mama! I like them this way." "But you might fall and hurt yourself, and that would be bad!" The mother spoke again. "Oh no, I will be ok." the little girl replied. "Do you remember that lady we saw on the ground today that the ambulance picked up?" the mother asked. "Yes, I remember..." the little girl replied, unconcernedly. "Do you know what happened to her?" Now the girl sat in rapt attention.... "No, what happened?" she asked. The mother allowed there to be a pause for effect, then came the awful truth.... "She didn't tie her shoe laces, and she tripped and fell!" There was silence. "And the same will happen to you to if you don't tie your shoe laces...."

I was sitting right next to them and about burst into laughter, but somehow, I managed to contain myself. If only "not tieing our shoe laces" was the worst of our problems!!! ;-)

Later when coming out of Wal-Mart I watched a young mother struggling with her children. She had a girl in a wheel chair with cerebral palsy and toddler. She looked tired and worn. Yet there was love in her voice as she spoke to the children, there was patience in her touch. I had to admit I admired her...admired what she was doing.

Sometimes I struggle with love in my voice when I speak to my roommate, sometimes I struggle with love in my touch when I help a friend...what would it be like to care for a child, (maybe two or three of them) that demanded my every minute and offered no gratitude....no thanks...no reward. (At least not in this life!) What if there was no "growing up" and getting past this stage....day in and day out...for the rest of my life...

Could I serve with love?? I hope that I could...and if God someday gives me my own children to love, whether they be of my own body or cast aways from someone else...whether they are healthy or deformed, I pray that I will!!!

But maybe I should work a little more on developing love now...with the people God has given me!