To My Daughter.

I pray that you would always:

Learn to look for the people in the corner-
for ones with stories in their eyes.
When you walk into a room, don't sink into the masses.
Rather, seek out the overlooked few.
And let your eyes continually turn toward the hurting,
to the ones with heavy burdens.

Learn to look for the people in the corner-
for the ones with timid movements.
When you are away from home, don't find the head of a table or the middle of a spotlight.
Rather be drawn to those hiding in shadows of loneliness.
And let your hands be forever quick to extend a greeting,
to the ones who shy away.

Learn to look for the people in the corner-
for the ones who have been labeled "different".
When you pass them on the street, don't turn away your face.
Rather, look directly into theirs.
And let your ears be constantly tuned to what they have to say,
to the ones that are so often silenced.

Learn to look for the people in the corner-
for the ones who were told they didn't matter.
When you are in the middle of your afternoon, don't browse for "new" or "wow".
Rather let your heart be pulled closest to the quiet heroes,
to the ones who have never received fame for their days.

Daily I ask, daily I hope,
that as you grow,
you will learn to look for the people in the corner.

Because when you do,
you'll find that you've been turning your eyes, your hands, your ears, your heart...
to The One who was in the corner all along.