Oh, great post, Mary. I feel the same way when I bring my daughter to the grocery. Sure, it would be easier to leave her at home with Daddy but she brings so much joy to the people we encounter. I can't help but feel that we're making people smile.

This is beautiful. We always stop by one elderly woman at Mass in a wheelchair so that the girls can give her hugs. She lights up every time she touches their cheeks.

This is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I have one here and one in Heaven and they both offer many opportunities to share God's love with the world :)

Totally has been my experience always, the babies open people's hearts and help bring a sense of community, which is so vital and so lacking in our world today

This is how I feel when I bring my babies (now toddlers) to playground duty at my older children's school. The students love getting a smile from the baby, playing with the babies, or chasing down a renegade! Many of them do not have much experience with babies (smaller families are typical in many places) and so I get to share the joy a baby brings with them. The students respond so lovingly to them! Even the roughest little dudes tred carefully and smile on the babies.
In fact, the other day at the playground , as I watched the kindergartners play with my 18 month old, I thought that I need to have just one more kid, just so I could continue this mission. (We'll have to see - I really am getting to old for this!)

Wonderful. Thank you so much!

So amazingly true and well written. Thank you for the wisdom and insight. I never looked at it that way before, but I will now!!