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 smell, 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 and a 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 awestruck. 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. How did God feel when he put his
baby in our arms 2000 years ago.
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.
'It
is better to be liked for the true you, than to be loved for
who people think you are......'(Amen!
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I believe we could all take lessons
from God’s little children!!!
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“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows;
it empties today
of its strength.”
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