What I learned from a child

I’ve heard so much bad news coming from the States this week.

I became quite sad on my way home from work as I read the paper. It seemed like the world was slowly destroying itself.

Then the tiniest little ray of sunshine burst through the dark clouds. Here’s how a three-year-old restored my faith.

I was riding home on the Tube (London’s metro system). As usual, it was packed with tired, sweaty, anxious commuters. Everyone just wants to go home at the end of a long work day.

Most people on the Tube try to tune out the rest of the passengers, myself included.

I was doing a pretty good job becoming absorbed in the horrific news from my home country. As I said, I was feeling pretty upset.

A tiny girl was seated on her dad’s lap next to me. Her dad had given her his iPhone to play with while he checked some emails on his Blackberry. There wasn’t anything extraordinary about the situation, and I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to them. That was until I heard what she said.

After playing a few games on the iPhone, she handed it back to her dad. He asked if it was broken or if she needed his help to win a game. She replied, “Nope. I’m just done with it.”

He asked, “What do you want to do instead of playing games?”

She said, “I just want to talk to you because I love you daddy.”

She gave him a big kiss on the cheek and he gave her a hug.

It suddenly occurred to me that just because bad things happen, it doesn’t mean the whole world is bad or that all people are bad.  This sweet little girl was full of pure love and happiness.

The world is full of amazing people who are striving to make it a better place. Love and goodness abounds; I just need to look a little harder to find it sometimes.

Back in October 2001, shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had a conference.

Gordon B. Hinckley, who was the Church’s prophet at the time, said some really profound things. Whether or not you have religious inclinations, hopefully the message will ring true.

He said, “Let us be prayerful. Let us pray for righteousness. Let us pray for the forces of good. Let us reach out to help men and women of goodwill, whatever their religious persuasion and wherever they live. Let us stand firm against evil, both at home and abroad. Let us live worthy of the blessings of heaven, reforming our lives where necessary and looking to Him, the Father of us all. He has said, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10).

Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us."

As President Hinckley said, these are troubled times. However, I don’t need to be afraid. I’m making a renewed effort to look for the good, and even contribute to the good.

The world is a beautiful place.

Seeking out the good doesn’t mean I should ignore the frightening things that are happening. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are suffering because of the horrible events of this week. Together, we mourn and are moved with compassion to care for those around us.

Even though things may seem awful sometimes, there are always little rays of sunshine that break through the darkness, like that little girl was for me. We just have to look for them. Better yet, become the light for someone else. The only way to dispel darkness is to shine some light.

“We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us.”