As a foster dad, I’ve been touched in the recent weeks by the attention my baby gets and by the effect he has on people. I can’t walk anywhere with him without being stopped at least a few times by people wanting to see or interact with him. He is a people stopper. But what touches me most was noticing the effects he has on others.
I love the joy he brings to others when he spontaneously smiles and causes them to smile. I love the hope he gives to others when they hear he’s a foster baby and see his present well-being. I love the love he generates in strangers when they meet him and instantly fall in love with him. I love the appreciation of mystery he evokes when people look at him, then look at my wife and I, and realize something isn’t matching! I love how he melts my heart in our conversations together. I love his sensitivity for peace when I sing to him and his soul quiets. I love how he stirs others to be inquisitive by his curious nature to look at everything. I love how he moves others to live when they see his precious life. I love how he is a reminder of good when they see the purity of his soul regardless of where they think he came from. I love that he is an inspiration to others by his story of redemption. I love the encouragement he offers others by him simply living and growing. I love that in the midst of his broken background he brings so much beauty into this world.
And I love that he doesn’t even know he’s such a blessing to others.