{"id":7672,"date":"2017-08-31T07:06:39","date_gmt":"2017-08-31T13:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/?p=7672"},"modified":"2017-08-31T09:09:47","modified_gmt":"2017-08-31T15:09:47","slug":"how-to-see-past-lifes-obstructions-and-get-miraculous-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/2017\/08\/31\/how-to-see-past-lifes-obstructions-and-get-miraculous-results\/","title":{"rendered":"How to See Past Life’s Obstructions and Get Miraculous Results"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>My husband recently got prescription glasses. He doesn\u2019t really like the fact he needs them so he only wears them when he absolutely has to \u2013 usually to read fine print. I most often see him wearing them at night as he reads his favorite Vince Flynn novels. He doesn\u2019t know it, but the sight of him nestled in bed reading his book with his glasses on stops me cold. My heart softens.<\/p>\n

I see him as fully human \u2013 the details in his fabric that make him the good man he is.<\/p>\n

I see him as a little kid doing something he loves, and I want to protect him from hurt or worry.<\/p>\n

I see him as a strong and loving man who puts others before himself, and I want to love him well.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny. Since Scott got his glasses, I\u2019m getting better at reading the fine print too\u2014his<\/em> fine print \u2026 the joy in his belly laugh, the worry lines around his eyes, the way he pulls the trashcans to the curb every Thursday morning so I don\u2019t have to, the way his tongue sticks out when he\u2019s concentrating, the way he leans in when helping Avery with math at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n

The closer I look at Scott\u2019s fine print, the more my love expands \u2026 the more of his world I see and understand.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat becomes available to us when we greet one another as fully human?\u201d<\/strong> <\/em>Margaret Wheatley once said. Out of all the thought-provoking questions I\u2019ve heard in my life, that one holds a coveted spot in my brain. It comes to mind more often than any other, though the answer has always been a little fuzzy. As someone wired to choose productivity above pause \u2026 tasks over rest \u2026 and control over connection, I know I often miss seeing the most important details of people.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, I have two role models who don\u2019t. Although my daughters\u2019 personalities are vastly different \u2013 one is Type A, the other is Type N<\/a> (Noticer) \u2013 neither of them miss other people\u2019s fine print.<\/p>\n

This summer, Natalie held several camps<\/a> in our basement for neighborhood children. The night before the final day of Survivor Camp, one of the mothers texted me with the attached photo. She wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried the new caramel M&M\u2019s this week and my son immediately said, \u2018These taste like a Twix! Miss Natalie would like these because Twix are her favorite. Can we share these with her?\u2019 This spawned a plan gleefully executed by my child and his Omi this afternoon. It will probably look like nothing more than a bag of candy to Natalie, but it was a carefully executed plan by a grateful nine year old. It's making this mama a little weepy, but in the best of ways, because I'm grateful, especially after a rocky week, to her for her inspiring efforts, and to him for having a generous and thankful heart.\u201d<\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I took a minute to consider the intricacies of this powerful gesture.<\/p>\n

In order for the boy to know Natalie\u2019s favorite candy, she had to tell her students what it was. I\u2019d peeked in on her camp a few times during the week and noticed how she played music they liked and talked to them as she would fellow peers. Although she was older and clearly the one in charge, she treated her campers as human beings with value, creativity, and wisdom. She also revealed parts of herself to them, like her favorite candy, exotic places she hopes to travel someday, and the pain and growth that comes with taking risks.<\/p>\n

And while all that was happening, a 9-year-old boy was listening, noticing, remembering \u2026 a 9-year-old boy was reading the fine print of another human being.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s mother suspected the gift would look like an ordinary bag of candy to Natalie, but that was not the case. That night my daughter came to me and said, \u201cMom, did you see this?\u201d<\/p>\n

As she held out the bag, I detected both delight and astonishment in her voice. \u201cHow did he know?\u201d she smiled.<\/p>\n

Thoughtful gifts in shiny packages are this girl\u2019s love language. She never told the boy that, but he picked up on it.<\/p>\n

What becomes available to us if we greet each other as fully human?\u00a0<\/strong>Miraculous results \u2026 things that cannot be explained \u2026 things that deeply touch the heart \u2026 that\u2019s what.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not quite sure what I expected to happen when I showed my younger daughter Avery the heartbreaking photo <\/a>of the nursing home residents stranded in their flooded nursing home earlier this week. Knowing how much my 11-year-old daughter loves elderly people, I thought she might like to hear of their story and their rescue.<\/p>\n

As I watched the color drain from her face, I immediately I wish I hadn\u2019t subjected her to the distressing scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were rescued,\u201d I reminded her.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut were ALL of them saved?\u201d she asked, appearing to be on the verge of tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, yes,\u201d I assured. \u201cThey were all airlifted to safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next thing out of her mouth was that she wanted to go see her elderly friend Annie<\/a>. So the next evening, we drove to Annie\u2019s nursing home. It was eerily quiet as we walked down the hall for severe dementia patients to see our friend.<\/p>\n

Just then, a caregiver came out of Annie\u2019s room. \u201cYou'll have to come back another day,\u201d she told us as she shut the door.<\/p>\n

My daughter\u2019s face fell, but not for long. She pulled me by the hand down the hall. \u201cRemember Mama J? Let\u2019s go see her.\u201d<\/p>\n

We happened to meet Mama J last winter by accident when we took our cat Paisley around to see the residents<\/a>. Mama J is bed ridden. It is tough for her to even raise her head. That day, she called Paisley her \u201cLittle Lamb\u201d sent by God to let her know she had not been forgotten.<\/p>\n

When we walked in her room on Tuesday night, Mama J let out a cry of joy. \u201cOh, my Lord!\u201d she declared when saw Avery with her guitar.\u00a0\u201cI can\u2019t believe it! Do you know what day it is? It is my birthday! I am 96-years-old today, and this is the best gift I could ever receive!\u201d<\/p>\n

Avery looked at me with astonishment and began to strum. She quickly filled the dark room with uplifting chords as Mama J watched in amazement.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Avery played four songs for Mama J. Occasionally, Mama would tilt her head back and laugh in pure disbelief. A few times, she bowed her head and wept with joy. But consistently, she repeated the same two questions over and over. She said, \u201cDo you hear what I hear? Do you see what I see?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

A beautiful child coming to serenade her on her 96th<\/sup> birthday almost seemed too good to be true.<\/p>\n

Almost.<\/p>\n

But not quite.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What becomes available to us when we greet each other as fully human?\u00a0<\/strong>Miraculous results \u2026 things that cannot be explained \u2026 things that deeply touch the heart \u2026 that\u2019s what.<\/p>\n

The more we seek to read each others\u2019 fine print, the more love flourishes \u2026 the more joy we bring to the world \u2026 the better we see and understand each other.<\/p>\n

In light of the traumatic events happening in our country and around the world, I can\u2019t help but think this is the answer we are searching for right now. From our digital distractions, to our judgments and divisions, to our natural disasters and manmade crises, we face obstructions that prevent us from seeing each other as fully human.<\/p>\n

But overcoming obstructions to get a clear view of each other\u2019s hearts only takes a bit of effort:<\/p>\n

Noticing<\/em><\/p>\n

Listening<\/em><\/p>\n

Remembering<\/em><\/p>\n

Sharing<\/em><\/p>\n

Showing up<\/em><\/p>\n

Marveling<\/em><\/p>\n

And holding each other close.<\/em><\/p>\n

We can begin with the people right in front of us \u2013 the ones wearing glasses and fuzzy socks in our beds at night \u2026 the ones who forget to take their medication and leave their library books on the kitchen counter \u2026 the ones who put letters in our mailboxes and serve our food with a weary smile.<\/p>\n

The closer we look at each other\u2019s fine print, the more our love expands \u2026 the more we see and understand each other \u2026 the more we give HOPE a fighting chance.<\/p>\n

Some folks say we need a miracle to get out of the mess we\u2019re in.<\/p>\n

I believe they\u2019re right …<\/p>\n

Because I saw it in the fine print of some beautiful souls.<\/p>\n

And that gives me great hope for the future.<\/p>\n

I hope it does you too.<\/p>\n