They Care that You Care

Today, I am deeply grateful for those of you who have supported the Dial Hope Foundation with a financial donation. You are a blessing to many!

The famous actor Paul Newman founded many charities, including the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children battling cancer, AIDS, and blood diseases. One afternoon, he and his wife Joanne stopped by the camp to have lunch with the kids. A counselor at a nearby table, suspecting the young patients wouldn't recognize a famous movie star, explained, "That's the man who made this camp possible. Maybe you've seen his picture on his salad dressing bottle?" The children were quiet. Blank stares. So the counselor tried again: "Well, you've probably seen his face on his lemonade carton." An eight-year-old girl perked up. "How long was he missing?"

The story made me smile. The truth is, children don't care if you are rich and famous. They only care that you care. And when it comes right down to it, it is the same for all of us, isn't it? The people who matter most in our lives are simply the ones who cared.

Take a moment today and think of one person who made you feel truly cared for. Maybe it was a parent, a teacher, a friend who showed up when you needed them most. Chances are it wasn't their fame or accomplishments that stayed with you. It was simply that they were present. They noticed. They cared. That is a gift worth passing on.

Prayer: Loving God, we pray with the words of the apostle Paul: "Blessed are you, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of all mercies and God of all consolation." Thank you for your mercy and grace, for your love and care, and for the friends and strangers who have been instruments of that care in our lives. Give us open hearts and open hands, that we might be a blessing to them, to you, and to this world you love so much. Amen.

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