Trials in Life

I've often caught a glimpse of an older lady who lives in our complex stopping and scowling at my window.
She then sometimes walks off shaking her head. I don't know her, but I know she is a tidy lady.
So I'm sure she doesn't appreciate that it is springtime and I still have Halloween up in my window.
I'm sure she didn't like that I had a spring banner up along with the Halloween decals for Easter either. The thing is Mark and I can't seem to take these Halloween decals down.
Miles put them up just weeks before he passed.
He would spend each day rearranging them ever so carefully.
He loved them.
He was so excited for Halloween!

If only this neighbor knew why we still have Halloween in our window during the spring.

If only she knew that during the winter I would boil water just to steam up the windows in the house to see all his little handprints that cover the window.

Handprints that I can't bring myself to clean off, even if less light comes into the house.

I love that dirty Halloween window.

I may keep it that way as long as we live here.

If only she knew all this, I'm sure she wouldn't scowl at my window anymore.

She may even love those decals as we do.

Through the loss of Miles we have and are learning many valuable lessons in life.
One of which is judgement.
Who am I to judge another?
I don't know their trials in life.
I don't know why they are in the situation they are in.
I don't know the cause for their actions, dress, behavior and more.
Instead I do know that there is a story behind each person.
That's what I try to say now, "that's a story" instead of something mean or judgmental about someone.

I often find myself out in public really looking at people.
Trying to read their soul I guess.
(It hasn't worked yet, and I'm not too sure I would want this power anyway.)
I look at them and wonder what trial they are up against.
What is their hardship right now?
Everyone has one. Everyone.

I even find myself looking at older women wondering if they too have lost a child.
Then I wonder if they have, how have they lived so long with the heartache?

When I look at people this way, realizing that they too are facing an unseen trial, I find myself loving people so much more.
I have more patience with them and even myself.

Marvin J. Ashton wrote " If we could look into each other's hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance and care."

Mark and I aren't perfect. It's not always easy not to judge another. But it is something we work hard on everyday. I don't want people to judge me when they don't know all the details of my life.
So I in turn shouldn't judge them, right?

I can't help but think what a better and loving world it would be if we all judged a little less harshly and in turn just loved one another more. If instead we helped strengthen and build one another up. What a wonderful world it would be.