Do You Hear Their Silence?

As I walk the streets of the city, I am often reminded of the overwhelming need around me. Looking through all the cardboard signs and listening to the beggars on the train may be exhausting and create the repulsive syndrome that I have named "Excessive Exposure" (not a very scientific term but it works for me).

and yet - think on this with me - the more I observe the more I notice those who do not walk

from a subway car to a subway car shaking their cup at me, or wait for me to come out from a coffee shop to ask for spare change... I see those who are... SILENT.

They don't impose their suffering on you. They don't ask you for help because they consider themselves beyond help. They sit quietly... and suffer... in SILENCE.

I want to challenge you today to keep your eyes open for those who need you but won't ask for your help: a coworker who needs to hear a word of encouragement, a homeless person who needs a smile more than a dollar, an aging parent who needs a phone call, a misbehaving child who only needs to be listened to - anyone... anywhere.

Open your eyes to see their suffering. Open your ears to hear their silence.

What will you do today to brighten up someone's day?