Pure in Heart

Just last week, I saw a McDonald's TV commercial, and I feel in love with it. I know it's just an ad but it's not all the time you can see such brotherly love and respect, especially when the the older one is what you call a special child.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Check this out:

(For those who can't understand, I apologize. It's a 

TV commercial for the Philippines only. I think)

So, anyway, one of the reasons I love this television advertisement is that it reminds me of an experience I had just two weeks ago. 

After a doctor's appointment, I rushed outside from the building and hastily walked to the jeepney stop. It was getting late in the afternoon, so I couldn't wait to get home to tell my hubby about my meeting with the doctor. When I saw that traffic congestion was starting to build up along Osmeña Boulevard, and the public jeepneys were mostly full, I knew there was a slim chance for me to get a ride quickly.

Not wanting to stand there on the PUJ stop for hours on end on a hot, humid and very polluted avenue, I braced myself for some "wrestling" with other would-be passengers. Luckily, I didn't have to because I spotted a jeep who just needs one petite passenger before they roll, me. 

So, I got on the jeep, even though I knew I won't be able to fit my entire bottom on the seat, just so I can get home. When I managed to squeeze in half of my butt on the seat, I suddenly heard a young male's voice across me calling out to his mom. When I looked up, I saw a young boy of about 11 or 12 years old gesturing to his mom, telling her to move a little to her left so that the girl, meaning me, can sit without slipping over the seat. 

When I realized what he was trying to do, I hid my surprise with a smile because of the sweet gesture he did for me. He was a young boy with Down syndrome but still had the heart to think of others. I've been riding public utility jeeps all my life, and I've never experienced something like it. And to think, his mom was carrying a month-old baby, the air was hot and sticky, and the jeep was cramped. I mean you could practically hear the person beside you breathing. That's how full it was. Yet, he still thought of somebody else. If he was just normal person, I doubt if he'd ask his mom to do that. He'll probably even care less as long he's seated comfortably. 

Since that episode, I couldn't help but smile at him. I thought to myself how I wish I can repay him for his kindness. If only I have the means to. But then, I told myself I'll just pay it forward. Whenever I ride a cramped jeep, I'll try to help a passenger who's having a hard time seating properly. 

Going back to the TV commercial. After seeing it, I told Josh about my experience, and he told me that a lot of people who have down syndrome are pure in heart.  That may sound like a bold statement, but I guess there's some truth in that because a lot of the folks we know, from classmates to neighbors, who have the condition are selfless, kind and helpful. Perhaps you'll want to recall someone you know?

Josh also added, everyone should be like them, kind and never selfish. And I couldn't agree more. In fact, people who are completely, genetically normal should be more kind and selfless, like them, because they have the physical, mental and emotional ability to do so unlike people with congenital disabilities.

Such experience taught me a lot. It reminds me of what Jesus Christ taught us that we should be like little children: meek, gentle, patient, and pure in heart. Although the lesson I've learned is not going to change me completely, because it doesn't happen that way, my experienced has influenced me to change one step at a time.