OT: A baby's hug ...

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 7:39 am

This may have been around awhile, but when it showed up in my email this morning was the first time I'd seen it. In case it's new to you, too ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Baby's Hug

We were the only family with children in the restaurant.

I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking.

Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi there."

He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled.

His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi ya, buster," the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?" Erik continued to laugh and answer, "Hi, hi there."

Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo."

Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence, all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot.

The old man sat poised between me and the door.

"Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed.

As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's "pick-me-up" position.

Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man's. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love relationship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder.

The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck.

The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice,

"You take care of this baby."

Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest unwillingly, longingly, as though he were in pain.

I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift."

I said nothing more than a muttered thanks.

With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me."

I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes.

I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not.

I felt it was God asking, "Are you willing to share your son for a moment?" when He shared His for all eternity.

The ragged old man unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children."

Author Unknown

livethe question · Post by **livethe question** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 7:52 am

Thank you Jerry.

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 8:15 am

This is similar to the scene where a child says, in a very loud voice, "That man is really fat, isn't he, Mommy!" Children learn behaviors they see modeled by their parents. If you, as a parent, show love and acceptance, your children will too. I think the mother in the story was too hard on herself because her child learned how to love from her.
Mike

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 9:39 am

I get emails like that one all the time.

But the story reminds me of this one, told to me by a friend who was one of a group of four young women sitting in a McDonald's restaurant in Dublin.

They had just sat down with their meals when a filthy and hungry-looking tramp walked into the restaurant, came up to their table and laid a grimy hand onto the hamburger of one of the girls.

With a twinkle in his eye, he asked her, "Are you going to eat that?"

The victim shook her head. "I didn't think so. It would be a shame to waste it. Can I have it?"

She nodded vigorously. "Thank you!" said the tramp, picking up the burger and moving away.

On a serious note, I once witnessed an incident that was the complete reverse of the tear-jerking tale told above.

I was in the a musician's house in Ireland when a man in a very similar condition to the one described in the first story called at the house and was welcomed in. He wanted to play with the little girl of the house, who unlike the baby in the tale was frightened by his appearance and very reluctant to go near him. It was the mother who soothed her and showed her that she needn't be afraid. I was very impressed by that gesture, and indeed by the family's entire demeanour towards the unfortunate visitor.

Kim in Tulsa · Post by **Kim in Tulsa** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 9:53 am

I'm sorry, but if a complete stranger walked up and picked my child up...I'm afraid they'd have one hysterical mom to deal with. I have what I consider God-given instincts that would just simply not allow this.

It wouldn't matter what they looked like, well-dressed or shabby...nobody touches my children without my permission.

I once had a (very well-dressed) complete stranger approach me in the park when my eldest son was about 2. He positioned himself between me and my son and told me that Jesus wanted him to speak to me. Every muscle in my body was tense and I looked him right in the eye and told him "I am going to give you just one opportunity to walk away from me before I start screaming" He began to walk away and I ran over and got my son. The guy shot back over his shoulder "Jesus wanted me to talk to you about your bad attitude!"

Kim

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 10:51 am

I would probably respond the same as Kim.

I think the story was probably made up (I suspect many such stories are invented) to illustrate an idea more than to give an example of what to do or not to do in a similar situation.

Best wishes,
Jerry

Gary · Post by **Gary** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 10:54 am

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. - Isaiah

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 11:13 am

On 2003-01-24 10:53, Kim in Tulsa wrote:
The guy shot back over his shoulder "Jesus wanted me to talk to you about your bad attitude!"

It's jerks like that who give well-dressed strangers like me a bad rap. :roll:

chas · Post by **chas** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 11:38 am

On 2003-01-24 11:51, Jerry Freeman wrote:

I would probably respond the same as Kim.

I think the story was probably made up (I suspect many such stories are invented) to illustrate an idea more than to give an example of what to do or not to do in a similar situation.

I suspect so, too -- there aren't many babies with "toothless grin"s who also talk.

I was in much the same situation -- we were in a Taco Bell, probable homeless guy (dirty with dirty clothes) and baby grinning at each other. As we were leaving, I stopped to chat with him, encouraged him and the baby to coo at each other some more. It's really easy to be nice to people, and it means a lot to those who are down on their luck. This guy was grinning from ear to ear when we said goodbye. And I believe he did say, "Take care of that baby."

C4 · Post by C4 » Fri Jan 24, 2003 11:58 am

When my 14yo was not quite two I had this happen to me..Not the cute story above (that one always makes me want to cry)..There was this huge man over 6ft could have been a football player. He used to walk up around town ranting and cussing to himself. One day we were going out to our car and he was walking by and he stopped and pickied up my son..I didnt know what to do so I just said some generic comment about yes isnt he cute and this guy put him down and walked off..Boy I dont know what I could have done if he had tried anything this guy was huge...

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 5:51 pm

Some years ago during the Democratic national convention in Dallas, police were called because an unkept homeless man was seen walking in the hallways of a fancy hotel. When police showed up to confront the man, they realized he was Willie Nelson.