Hug Your Kids!

I know that for most of us this is a no-brainer...

I know that for most of us cherishing our children and seeing them as blessings is second nature...

but I also know how easy it is to become busy with the day to day of living and that sometimes...

just sometimes...

we take for granted these little lives that are with us.

It's times like these...when a story like this one hits home especially hard.

This afternoon,

while in our small-town Dollar General, 

I noticed a disheveled-looking Black man, in camo, with red-rimmed eyes, paying an inordinate amount of attention to my two older children.  I moseyed towards the coloring books and toy aisle to overhear this gentlemen telling Benjamin that Matchbox cars were his favorite, too, when he was little.

No harm.  No foul.

Then, at the checkout counter, he was behind me.  

Talking to Luke, trying to get him to smile.  

And although his breath didn't smell like whiskey, I couldn't get over those watery eyes.

And it was then that he said to me...

"Ma'am, your children sure are beautiful.  Make sure you hug them a little bit tighter tonight.  You see, tomorrow, I'm burying my 4-week old grandson.

My heart stopped for just a moment.

Crib death...

3:00 AM...

Every mother's worst nightmare...

And then I felt my cheeks, burning hot with shame.  

For making assumptions...

child-molester, kidnapper, drunk...

...grieving grandparent 

never crossed my mind.

And while it is true that we must be constantly vigilant with regard to our children's safety...we must never let our "fear" of those that are different from us stop us from interacting and forming relationship with others. 

Tonight, I ask that you keep this family, grieving deeply over the loss of their precious grandson, in your thoughts and prayers.  I pray that our Heavenly Father might console them as only He can.

In Christ,