Have you ever been stuck in a confined space (like an airport terminal waiting area) with a crying baby nearby?
Let me guess… your thoughts scroll through this list: “Poor kid. Wish the mom would do something. Ommmm. Ignore it. Baby will quit soon – surely! For God’s sakes what is wrong with that kid! What is wrong with that mom!? Ommmmm… I want the peace of God…”
Safe bet that most of the travelers within earshot are entertaining similar thoughts, and the emotions that arrive on the heels of their thought-of-choice.
But here’s a story I read this week about several women who did something different. Pivoted.
In the LA airport (I’ve been through it – not an uplifting place IMO), a toddler waiting with his pregnant momma began to cry, then to wail. He had a total meltdown and despite his momma’s best efforts, would not board their plane nor stop screaming. His mother, because of his size and her pregnant belly, could not just pick him up and take him.
After several failed attempts the mother did something unusual.. she knelt down beside her screaming son and wept on the floor.
Who knows what thoughts were going through the minds of those nearby?
But something shifted. One by one, several women nearby got up and knelt down beside the weeping mother and her screaming son, making a circle around them. Beth, the woman who later told the story on Facebook, sang Itsy Bitsy Spider. Another woman peeled an orange to offer. Another found a little toy in her handbag. Another helped the momma get out a sippy cup and get her son a drink.
Suppose any of them were praying as well?
Both Momma and Son calmed down, were able to board the plane, and the circle of 6 or 7 women dissolved back into the waiting passengers, without discussing the incident.
A miracle of connection, calming and gratitude happened where there was anger, fear and despair before.
What catalyzed the pivot?
Someone – then several someones – chose gratitude and love over grudges and judging.
Instead of resenting the mom, ignoring the crying, or judging the situation, the women chose loving action and presence.
A Course in Miracles says Judgment is the weapon I would use against myself, to keep the miracle away from me. (from Lesson 347)
If you stay in judgment and resentment you will never know what miracle could have appeared if you pivoted into gratitude. Maybe your miracle was simply your peace of mind. Or maybe it was something far more astonishing.
Like a Circle of Women appearing to transform despair into peace in the LAX terminal.
copyright Linda Chubbuck 2018