Imagine a little girl standing on the sidelines at recess. She ducks her head and digs at the dirt with the toe of her shoe. If you listened to her heart you would hear a whisper…someone please notice me.
Picture a young lady in the cancer unit of a hospital. She tries to wear a courageous face as she sits in the waiting room for what feels like the hundredth time. If you leaned in close you’d catch a phrase with each brave breath…someone please notice me.
Imagine an elderly woman in the lobby of a nursing home. She thinks about days spent as a mother, grandmother, wife, and friend. She stares at the door but today no one comes. As her wheelchair squeaks on the way back to her room another sound slips in…someone please notice me.
There is a part of each of us that longs to be noticed, to be recognized. It’s God-given since the creation story tells us, “God saw all He had made and it was very good.” To be seen. To be known. To be affirmed. It’s as essential to our survival as breathing.
Yet we tend to save “noticing” for special occasions. Graduations. Weddings, Funerals. But so much of our lives is lived in-between.
Andy Andrews has set out to change that tendency through The Noticer Project. Inspired by his new book, The Noticer, he is challenging people to “notice” five important people in their lives. To find creative ways to do so, just visit www.thenoticerproject.com.
The site went live last night and this morning I’m sitting in an airport. Moments from now Mark will arrive and we’ll be on our way to San Francisco. But I believe in this so much that I wanted to tell you now.
Today let’s share the words that live within our hearts–the words that express love, appreciation, honor. They belong to the ones who put them there in the first place. It’s time to return them to their rightful owners.
It’s time to notice.
