Another Week Beyond – 2305

February 3, 2023

Dear friends,

Nancy, a young mother walked into our office and greeted us cheerfully. When instructed to acknowledge a colleague and me as “aunty” and “uncle”, her 2-year-old-child did so meekly and then started sniffling softly for mother’s attention. With her finger on her lip, Nancy gestured to the child to keep quiet and left her with us as she went to look for another colleague in different room.

The child continued sniffling and my colleague instinctively looked around the office for something to comfort her. I then passed the child a toy bear dressed in a green trench coat which I had on the shelf above my desk. I have a few soft toys there that I use as talking pieces during a circle conversation and for situations like that. The child took it without any hesitation, held it with both hands and looked intently at her new-found toy silently.

My colleague and I continued looking at her; wondering if she would just put it down quickly and start asking for mom again but no, she kept her gaze and occasionally smiled to the bear. This silence went on for a good 3 minutes at least before mom came back into the room. I assured mom that the bear was a gift that her child could take with her and there was no need to pull it away.

After Nancy and child left, my colleague and I chatted briefly about what we had just experienced. We concluded that the child gave us a clear demonstration of what appreciation really is. To me the bear was just a scruffy soft toy but to her it was a gift that brought much joy and she took her time to appreciate every aspect of the bear, letting it know how much she loved him with a gentle pat and smile. The child’s gesture challenged both of us to question if we take time to appreciate our blessings especially family, friends and the people who help make our lives comfortable and functional.

As the Lunar New Year festival draws to an end, let the Year of the Rabbit continue to be one of gratitude and appreciation for family, friendships, and the notion that prosperity in every sense of the word, is for all.

Gerard

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