Look for the Helpers...

This is a famous quote from Fred Rogers' mother. It goes,"My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”

Today I happened to be looking out my front window for a brief minute when I saw a man walking down the sidewalk. He couldn't see me. I watched as a plastic bag blew right into his ankle, and instead of ignoring it and continuing on, he stopped, picked it up, and proceeded to put it into his pocket. It was something so incredibly simple yet it really touched me. No matter how crazy things may seem, there are even the smallest most minute ways to help if you look for them. He did not do this be noticed or draw attention to himself, simply because that was the right thing to do.

A lot of times I think we imagine needing to do something big and extravagant to be a helper, but we don't. We just need to do the simplest of things that show love and concern. 

The other thing I found to be true about the helpers, is often times there are people who want to help and don't know how. In planning a special event for a friend, what I found is people wanted to do something nice, but did not know how to go about that. They just needed a little framework and an invitation. So sometimes, our role is setting up something that enables others to help. Our helping begets helping begets helping. 

So in these crazy times, look for the helpers, be the helpers, and help show others how to be helpers.