Oct 10, 2016 filed under Gifts & Fruits of the Spirit, Love.

mom and baby loving look

A while back, I wrote a post called “Grandma’s Loving Look.” Yesterday, I attended a talk by Sr. Tracey Dugas, FSP, a Daughter of St. Paul. Sister told a story that really brought home the power of a loving look.

She said her brother and his wife just had their first baby, little Joseph. Baby Joseph, Sister said, does three things: he poops, he eats, he sleeps. “He doesn’t know his worth from what he’s achieved, because he hasn’t done anything yet.”

But Baby Joseph does know his worth. How? He sees it reflected in the eyes of his mother and father. He is a human being and that beautiful, unique being is adored by the parents and the baby knows it because it’s what he was born for.

My husband, Fred, smiled at a baby yesterday and the baby gave him a big grin back. Love recognizing love: the glue that holds the universe together, the bond between the Persons of the Trinity, and the connection without which we can’t survive.

Sister Tracey added that a look that recognizes someone’s worth and dignity is more important than we think. How? Because the “look of recognition” we give to someone we pass on the sidewalk or someone we sit next to on a bus may be the only reflection of God’s love that they have seen in a while.

And we charge our batteries with this love by receiving Jesus’s loving look “eye-to-eye” in adoration. What a joy to spend our spiritual wealth by passing on this affirming look to those God puts in our path.

Love always,
Rose

photo: theshoppingmama.com

11 Responses to “Loving Look of a Lifetime”

  1. Anita

    Thank you for reminding me of the beauty and love we can give to others with just giving them a warm smile and greeting.

  2. Sue Chin

    Loved reading this…it is so true. Such warmth a look can be. I am so blessed to be able to gaze into babies eyes!!

  3. Maria Feuz

    Beautiful thoughts! I have often meditated on the power of a smile. Our ability to smile is both a gift and a tool given to us by our creator. It is a gift God wishes for us to give freely to others in order to lift up spirits and to affirm the preciousness of others.

    • Rose Folsom

      Maria,
      Thanks for your insight that a smile is a natural response to God’s love and the easiest way to share that same love with someone else.
      Rose

  4. Sal

    Babies are a gift from God as no human being can create something so beautiful and precious. This is the reason protecting life must be front and center in not only what we say, but what we do too. This includes voting. We don’t check our faith at the door, we take our wonderful faith w/us to the ballot box. Abortion is an intrinsic evil, the worst kind that can never be justified. On a lighter note, I always try to make it a point to greet people w/a simple smile, a nod of my head, a simple hello or just saying good morning. It is amazing to see the different reactions people have to this. Some will respond in kind, some faces will light up as they are being recognized and others will keep on walking w/o any acknowledgement! No matter, I will continue to greet people. Did you know this is a sign of love (charity) as well as the wonderful virtue of humility? If you are expecting someone to greet you first, then my friend you are not as humble as you think you are and need to work on improving this virtue!

    • Rose Folsom

      Sal,
      Thanks for our observation that respecting the dignity of each human person means not only that we will protect their life, but also treat strangers with the respect and honor they deserve.
      Rose