“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” – Henry David Thoreau

Since the tragic shooting this past Friday I have thought A LOT about life and this world we live in. I have tried to make sense of something that makes absolutely no sense in my mind. But after watching the President speak in that town tonight and listening to the words he spoke, it made sense to me, at least just a little. President Obama said, ‎”We’re all parents. They’re all our children. This is our first task: Caring for our children.” He’s right. We are ALL parents. They are ALL our children, and caring for them is OUR job! I don’t have my own kids (my mom sometimes reminds me of this lol) but, in my eyes, I have millions of children! I’m responsible, in some tiny way, for every child that crosses my path. It is my responsibility to smile at them, to share positive energy with them, to look out for their safety, to teach them, to LOVE them even though I may not even know their names and to treat them as if they were my very own. We ALL have this responsibility! It is OUR job, as a nation, a society, a world, to teach these children how to love and respect one other. It is OUR responsibility to teach children strength, courage and self-love. Without children we are nothing. As a matter a fact, that’s all we are at the core, each and every one of us. We are all just grown children. The only thing that has changed over time is the fear that we have learned: The fear of what others will think of us, the fear of the unknown, the fear of what lies around the next corner and the fear of disappointment. What a terrible way to live. When we are young we are FEARLESS! When we are young we are full of endless LOVE! We can learn so much from children. But as we grow we hurt one another with our judgments and our words and our actions. We grow into guarded, scared adults when, deep down, we are all just the same children we always have been desiring to be seen and loved.

I’m not sure what made this gentleman do what he did, but I know what it taught me and reminded me of. I was bullied growing up. I was called names that ring in my head pretty much every day of my life, that, at 30 years of age, still bring me pain. I remember how, as each year went by, I got a little more insecure, a little more guarded and a little more worried about how others viewed me. I let it dictate many things in my life, many choices and many relationships. And I hate it! No one should EVER feel less beautiful, less wanted, less important! We are ALL beautiful and important children. We are all equal and deserve the same love, attention and respect. And I don’t want another child in this world to develop these senseless and unnecessary scars.

That’s what I take from all this. A reminder to go back to the golden rule, to treat others as we want to be treated. As Thoreau said above, “Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” I couldn’t agree more. If we all spent more time seeing the world through the eyes of those around us we would be more aware of how we act and how the words we say and our actions affect others. If we all spent more time seeing the world through the eyes of a child. There is no doubt in my mind the compassion this would evoke in all of us and the respect that would be born for family, friends and strangers. We owe one another the same love and respect that we expect from those around us. When you wake up tomorrow, think of this. Look through each other’s eyes and remember that deep down we are all just innocent children with the same innate need and desire to be loved. Take on the task from the President and care for OUR children…of all ages!

I may not be the birth mother of any child that walks this green Earth, but I love EVERY one of them for the love, innocence and fearlessness that they represent. They remind me of what life is really all about, how beautiful and delicate each breathe and day really is and that, as John Lennon said, all we need is love! Let’s work on that…Every second of every day! We’ve lost sight of what is important in this world. It doesn’t matter how much money we make, it doesn’t matter our titles or positions in the work place, it’s the children in all of us and the love that we have for one another.

Good night!

(Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/photocillin/6697081753/)