In fact, occasionally it strikes me that the only time we see authentic selflessness lauded in the public square is after a tragedy. I begin to wonder if it's because people are too absorbed playing Angry Birds or something to see others and their needs. Or maybe tragedy just brings out the best in people.
But, I was reminded recently that people are selfless and generous when they see something of value, something rare and unrepeatable, something that reminds them of the beauty of human life. If our modern society lacks generosity, it may be because we no longer value anything. There are no altars greater than our own selves before which we wish to offer homage.
And then I have a baby--my third. And I dare to take the whole troop of these munchkins into public before the peanut is even 2 weeks old. And I discover that the world that seems to want to contracept itself out of existence, the world that fears the responsibility of parenting a little being that is possibly more self-centered and temperamental than ourselves, is in awe of an infant. Shopping anywhere takes me twice as long as before, not necessarily because of the extra little person in tow, but because of the adoration of the "wise men" of our world. They stop in droves to adore my little one. I feel a small touch of what Mary must have felt when the magi came and offered their gifts. I'm overwhelmed by humble gratitude that this little one I received as a great gift to me can also by her very presence be a great gift to others. She is a little sign of hope and peace (most of the time).
And so the Trader Joe's staff rush to give me free flowers (seriously, two of them at the same time), and the soap guy at the farmer's market gives me a free tub of shea butter for baby's delicate skin and mine. Even guys at my husband's work sent gift cards our way. My house has more flowers than a funeral parlor from people at my church, because people realize that the beginning of a life is just as significant as the end of one. Our sweet smells, plastic gold, and precious ointments may not be quite the magi's gifts, but I think they carry similar sentiments.
I also recognize that many new moms do not receive this sort of outpouring of support. It's a shame they don't. They deserve it; the beauty of new life deserves it. Similarly, not all communities demonstrate a proper value response to a tragedy. This neglect is not the result of human lives actually losing value, but of human hearts that have failed to see the value present in the hearts around them.
Some days my zealous self feels that I don't do enough and say enough to bolster our culture and our national sense of justice and goodness. And other days, like today, I realize that sometimes the great work of cultural revival is as simple as taking my children to the grocery store. Being is more important than doing after all. And our presence is a greater gift than any tirade I can deliver to the deaf masses.
This Memorial Day, I challenge you to come together with family to celebrate the lives that have passed in heroic self-sacrifice for something those men and women valued--your life. You can pay their gift forward daily by affirming the beauty of the lives around you and by sacrificing for the well being of strangers and family alike. Our soldiers fight for our freedom--the freedom to do as we ought and to be the best we can be. Live up to the hope they had in you.
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