I just received my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. I know that millions of people have done the same and that many will choose not to get the vaccine at all. I respect the choice others make because it is their choice. For me, getting the vaccine was an easy decision as I have had them before and I know they work. After all, I have never known anyone with polio, or other terrible diseases many of us have been vaccinated for. Please set aside your thoughts about the vaccine for a minute and focus with me on what I witnessed at the vaccination center.
I saw over a thousand people there to get the shot. People of all colors, some able to walk, others in wheelchairs. Some old and some young. People who may have a different faith than I do, some who may not share any faith. With the masks on, it is easier to see peoples' eyes, and they were filled with hope. I also saw hundreds of volunteers who were working in such a coordinated effort. People directing traffic, helping others who needed a wheelchair, some assisting with filling out the needed paperwork. I saw the people who gave the shot and others who watched over us afterwards to be sure we would be okay. I saw their eyes as well, and they were filled with love and compassion. I saw their hearts in their eyes. They cared for all the people there and they wanted to help.
I wondered what our world would be like if we all could live in the same way the volunteers do. Helping as and where they could, and focused only on the needs of others. There was a sense of community here today, but it was a sense of the worldly community, not just the community in which I live. I am thankful for the help of the volunteers and I am inspired by them. I hope that, going forward, I will live in a way so that my eyes reflect as caring and loving a heart as were shown to me today.
