A Little Thing

I went to finish my Christmas shopping- stocking stuffers, and a few odds and ends. On the way, I played Christmas music in the car, and thought of the children of Newtown, Connecticut. I sobbed my heart out as I listened to the music, crying for the bereaved families of Newtown. Sadness is so much sadder when it occurs during a time that is supposed to be filled with good cheer.

After shopping, as I was checking out, the cashier asked me if I wanted to get a credit card from her store and save 10%.
"I better not," I said
She continued telling me all the reasons why I really should get the store credit card.
I listened and then told her, "Well, you make a good case, but credit cards in my hands are dangerous. I am afraid I still better not."
She smiled at me, "Well thank you for listening to me. Most people cut me off when I'm in the middle of a word! I get so flustered...I mean, I have the whole spiel memorized. I can't stop...but they won't let me finish so I have to. I stand there with my mouth hanging open, and can't think what to say next! Anyway, thanks for listening."

It was a little thing...a very little thing. In a world filled with evil and heartache, I had just been thanked for not cutting someone off mid-sentence. It occurred to me how sorely we all need kindness. I also thought, with some guilt, how many thousands of times I had cut cashiers off mid-sentence because I really didn't need their credit card pitch. But those little things matter, and they add up. Perhaps there is hope. And if there is a little hope, maybe the world is not doomed.

On that horrific day in Newtown, there was one murderer, and he did awful things. But there were hundreds of compassionate helpers in the aftermath, including my cousin Sue, and now people reaching out from all over the world to that little community. It is good to try to focus on them, and the love and healing they extend. If those devastated families can clasp a loving hand, perhaps hope will one day rekindle. If there is a little hope, maybe the world is not doomed.

I drove home listening to Christmas carols, my heart still heavy, but this time I didn't cry. I just prayed silently and listened to the songs of Promise.

Psalm 31:24 (NIV)
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Psalm 130:5 (NIV)
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.




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