I’m back in the game chronicling these; I still run every day and ran Day 2272 today. Back to 2023…this post is that, basically, it feels good to be seen, and we can do that for each other. Yesterday, I learned of the death of actress Brenda Fricker. She brought to life two characters who helped shape the ‘90s childhood: the foster mom from Angels in the Outfield and the “Bird Lady” from Home Alone 2. I find this apropos for this discussion because there is a great speech the foster mom makes to Danny Glover’s character (AITO) regarding her foster sons, one of whom sees angels and the importance of faith and seeing and believing, so here Miss Fricker was someone who sees people. I’m including one of the scenes from Home Alone 2 where Miss Fricker discusses what happens when someone feels forgotten.

From the movie:

“Bird Lady : I was afraid of getting my heart broken again. You see, sometimes you can trust a person, and then, when things are down, they forget about you.

Kevin McCallister : Maybe they’re just too busy. Maybe they don’t forget about you, but they forget to remember you. l don’t think people mean to forget. l think it just happens. My grandfather says if my head wasn’t screwed on, I’d leave it on the school bus.”

Note: the phrase, “they forget to remember you.” This gives such a truth to human interaction and relationships. We can always improve upon this. Today’s verse is about how God doesn’t forget to remember us.

Here is the SummerVerse entry from June 9, 2023.

“👟RSD 1136 ✅
Today’s Verse: “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “‘You are the God who sees me,’” for she said, “‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’” —Genesis 16:13 (she had just been visited by an angel)

Upon looking around and researching meaning and context, the main commentaries includes language such as, “God looks after you.” The ESV translation uses soft and sweet language: “So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “‘You are a God of seeing,’” for she said, “‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.’”

Everybody likes to be remembered, likes to be noticed—not like “run for president” or “lead actor” noticed, but the gentle kind of noticed. For a student it could be something like, “Hey, it’s awesome how you’ve improved on this,” or, “Hey, you seem a little stressed.” For a stranger, it could be holding the door open or allowing them to cut the line when you have many purchases and they only have a few. For a coworker, it could be, “Hey, you’ve been doing a lot of running around today: I can wait for your copies to come off the printer and bring them to you,” or, “Hey, you’re doing an awesome job at _______ (something sincere and specific): we’re lucky to have you.” For a friend, it might look like, “Hey, I thought about you when I saw/heard ______,” or, “Hey, I know you’ve had a busy/stressful week: you’ve got this!” Being seen makes the fragmented turns of the kaleidoscope of life a more aesthetic display. Yeah, maybe it’s still fragmented, but it reminds you that it’s all fragmented together. All the pieces are visible, and each has a little sparkle. Light (and a little geometry) can do a lot. Being seen provides light to a person’s day. Hey, you can’t have sparkle without some light—plus that kaleidoscope would be just cardboard, so putting your eye into would yield disappointing results. God gave us an example here with Hagar (that’s the woman’s name in the verse). She needed something, and He sent an angel. She felt seen. So, the takeaway? Two actually. God sees us, and, knowing this, maybe we could take some time to see others. Live openly. 🫶🏻”