Look for Your Opportunity

Today, I had the privilege of voting for the next President of the United States.  The line was long and I knew going in it would take about one hour.  To my surprise and delight, lots of friends and former neighbors were in the line.  We chatted about children and how our lives have changed over the years.  The time flew by and before I knew it I was voting.

As I came out of the line, a volunteer was telling a mother that she was going to have to leave without voting because her children were misbehaving.  I noticed her struggling earlier with two toddlers on her hips and knew she felt defeated and frustrated.  As a mother, I could not just walk away.  She had invested almost two hours trying to exercise her right to vote.  I introduced myself and asked if my friend and I could help with her children.  She hesitated about letting complete strangers take her children.  I promised we would just be right over there until she had finished voting.  I showed her my driver's license to ease her mind.  Seriously, I had listened to that kid scream for an hour there was no way he was leaving with me.  

When she came out, I handed her a sleeping toddler.  She looked at me with tear-filled eyes and said, "I will never forget this act of kindness."  I told her how someone had done the same thing for me on an airplane when I was a young mother traveling alone with three children under the age of six.  This kind lady told me to return the favor when I saw a mother in need.  Today was that day.

There are opportunities all around us to help others in need if we are open to the idea.  Put your cell phones away, talk to your friends while waiting in line and look for your opportunity.  The world would be a nicer place if we take advantage of the little moments to be thoughtful and kind.