Today at church, during the inauguration ceremony of one of our members, I had an unexpected yet beautiful moment. While I sat quietly behind, trying to stay focused on the program, I just couldn’t pretend I didn’t see this little baby girl who was in front of me, carried by her mom, whom I didn’t know from anywhere.
The baby kept turning around to look at me, and each time our eyes met, she smiled while I also made some playful gestures. She enjoyed it and she kept smiling over and over again.
At first, I tried to act composed like nothing was happening but there was no way I could hide it. How do you ignore a baby who keeps smiling at you as if she knew you from somewhere before? I guess that’s how most babies do. I love little ones like her. I kept smiling back just to keep her company. The more I kept smiling, her smile grew wider, brighter and more beautiful.
Her mom carried her so calmly, and she was unaware that her daughter was busy distracting someone with her nonstop staring and smile, and I, on the other side, found myself watching the baby more than the ceremony at some point. The smile felt real and intentional like she was trying to say to me, “I see you.”
Eventually, I decided to hold her in my arms. I stretched my hand from behind, signalling to her mom that I would love to carry her, and she allowed me. The moment I held her, she settled in like she belonged to me. I played with her tiny hands, made faces and whispered funny sounds that gave me soft giggles back. It was a moment I didn’t want to end. At that point, I started imagining myself holding my own baby as cute as her.
As I held onto her, it reminded me of how pure joy can be, especially when you see babies’ happiness and how they do not worry about anything. Even when I held her, she trusted me so much that she wouldn’t get hurt, and I also had to protect her firmly so she wouldn’t slip out of my hand.
How confident she stayed with me and never bothered about me being a stranger. That’s how safe they are - they believe nothing would happen to them. I felt her connection with me - no words, no expectations, just her presence and it felt like she should go home with me.
In that moment, nothing else mattered but seeing her cute smile and ensuring she was safe with me. The program continued and there I was smiling just as much as she was.
This short moment with her made me realise how God can send us small reminders through the simplest encounters like this moment. For me, such an encounter came through a smiling baby girl who refused to be ignored.
Image Credit to Meta AI
