We can't become to busy.

This morning when I was dropping the boys off at school I experienced something that really hit me and made me really think about how I go on about my day to day. Do I just go through the motions, just trying to make it to the next thing on my to-do list? Do I get so focused on my life to not even see what's going on around me?

Today after I dropped the boys off at school, Avery and I walked in to the office to ask a question and to pay more on Blaise's lunch tab. As I was leaving the office, all the kids were already inside, and most the parents had already dropped off their kids and left. There were still a few cars parked in the loop-da-loop, and still a few cars dropping off kids, but for the most part, it was empty outside.

As Ava and I went to cross the loop-de-loop I looked left to cross the street and I saw a little boy just standing under the tree. The tree is kind of to the side of the school, so he wasn't really in plain view of the office or any classrooms. I thought it was odd because the bell already rang, so I kept my eye on him. There were a few cars parked in front of him so I figured he was just waiting for his Mom to get out of the car or something. So I walked to my car, and looked back over, and he was still standing there. A few of the cars had leftnow, a couple Mom's walked by him on their way to drop off their kids, or leaving after dropping off their kids. He was still just standing there.

So I walked over to him, and I didn't want to scare him, so I stopped before I got real close and asked if he wanted me to walk him into the school. He said he was just waiting for his Mommy. I thought, Okay, his Mom went in to drop off a brother or sister. So I told him that I could wait with him if he wanted. And he just turned around. So I waited for a minute, and no Mommy came out. So then I asked him if he goes to school. And he wouldn't answer me. Another Mom came over and said, "He's in my sons' Kinder class." So she said she would wait there with him, and I went into the office to let them know they had an escaped Kinder on their hands.

Turns out, he decided he was just going to wait outside until his Mom came back to pick him up because he got in trouble yesterday in class for spilling the glue and making a mess, and he didn't want to ever go back. Poor guy.

The other Mom told me that she noticed the little boy, so she sat and watched him from her car, to make sure he didn't try to cross the street or anything, and when she saw me walk over to him, she realized that he needed help.

Now, I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, or the other Mom. We just did what we felt we needed to do. It just got me thinking as to how easily it is to drive by a little kinder standing all alone outside of a school that is in session, and not think twice about it. If my little Caiden did that I pray that someone would notice him. That someone would stop what they were doing, and help him. That someone wouldn't be so focused on their day, that they could see a little boy.

I think it was easy for me to see him, because he is a child. He is innocent, and it was obvious that he needed help. How many times do I walk on by an adult that needs noticing and don't see them? I'm afraid it's far too many. I'm afraid that I don't open myself up enough to notice people unless it's obvious. Sometimes the people that need the most help, a hug, a hello, a "are you lost?" aren't obvious at all. You just have to be aware of things outside your to do list. We can't become to busy with our own little world to shut out the world around us. We can't become to busy to ignore a child, a neighbor, a friend, or our Heavenly Father. We can't become to busy that we let our "important list of things to do" get in the way of ther REAL important list of things to do!