Not long before the world shut down, I went to visit a friend in home hospice. The nurse on duty was her niece, who showed me to my friend’s room, and then asked, “Do you mind if I shower while you’re here?” I did not mind. My visit surely gave me more than it gave my friend who lay at the threshold of heaven. On my way out, I ran into the niece again. “Thank you,” she said, “I hope that wasn’t too weird for me to ask.”
Rebekah Curtis
This story came to me in a newsletter this morning. Last night we watched an English murder mystery on TV. The murderer was a talented individual who had been overlooked his entire life. There came a breaking point when past injustices led to his imminent death, and he snapped.
Sometimes it takes multiple experiences before something finally bubbles into my awareness.
Like—how many invisible people have I passed by who could have used a helping hand, a small amount of service, a kind word, an acknowledgement of their worth?
As we enter the Christmas season with all of its pleas for donations for this or that cause, let us open our eyes to the invisible people who surround us.
Let us open our eyes, but with love not the underlying arrogance of Mr. Shirley, the CEO in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (we had our annual kick off of the Christmas season watching it last night). “This experience taught me that it’s people who count, little people…like you.”
No, we are all children of God who deserve to be noticed and loved.
Faith Venture 
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