i'm constantly amazed by people. i love watching people (unbeknownst to them, of course) and riding the subway provides the perfect opportunity. on my right a middle aged man talks to his wife on his cellphone...he speaks softly and surely, chuckling under his breath often, and sighing as if every moment away from her wears on him. across from me a girl sits on her mother's lap looking like she thinks she should stand up and be a "big girl," even though she wants nothing more than to stay warm and secure with her mother's arms clasped around her. down at the end of the car an old man sits with his back upright, facing the people around him with suspicion as if he's experienced too much to sit back and trust.

it's easy for me to be critical of society. i look around and it seems like nobody cares about anybody but themselves. but then something happens -i'm helping elizabeth find the right size coat at a sidewalk sale and a taxi driver pulls over and starts motioning dramatically to get our attention, trying to show us that elizabeth should make sure the arms are long enough and that it isn't too narrow across the shoulders. when we leave with the "correct" size, he waves and gives us the thumbs up, satisfied that he has successfully led another shopper down the tricky road to a good fit. or i'm standing on a crowded subway when a man behind me gets up, leaving an empty seat, and the neighboring lady hurriedly saves it with her hand and motions me to sit down. or elizabeth and i are standing in line at the post office and an old lady at the counter notices us admiring her brightly striped socks and gives us such a big smile that i wonder if it hurts her.

then i remember it's still God's world no matter how much we twist it -so of course there's love everywhere. then i smile, promptly take back my critiques, and wonder at how much love goes unnoticed and unaccepted everyday. it's there if we look for it. and hopefully we're adding to it.