LITMIR.BIZ

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he wasn’t the only one.

      Kids who knew they were being photographed usually rose for the occasion and showed plenty of personality, no matter how sick or miserable they were, but not these kids.

      “They look lost, don’t they?” Chloe said softly, as if she hated to speak at all. “You may have already guessed that the common denominator is the lack of love in their lives. No government can guarantee love for its youngest citizens, yet, without it, there’s no joy, no hope for a better tomorrow.”

      He could see what she meant, and it got under his skin.

      “The children in your life need your love,” the speaker said simply. “And the good news is that you are here. That must mean you care.”

      She was giving him more credit than he deserved. He hadn’t thought about any of this before, but he should have.

      “Most people feel like a monetary gift is all they can provide, and it is a significant expression of your love, but dollars alone won’t put hope back in the eyes of children. When you want to reach out in a personal way and need to know how, Love Into Action can point you to reputable agencies who never have enough volunteers. Would you pray with me about what we can do together?”

      Zack reached for his mom’s hand, just as she’d taught him to do when was he was little.

      “Father God,” Chloe prayed, “we ask that You show us how we are to love Your children. We want to be Your voice, Your hands, Your feet. Lord, use us…in small ways or big…in our own communities or in faraway places. Through us, Lord, let children feel love, joy and great blessing.”

      Zack’s emotions seesawed from wanting to do all he could do to wishing his mother had asked for a birthday cruise. If he were being asked for money alone, he could write that fat check and let his conscience move on.

      Chloe then talked about their workshop packets and invited conferees to call, write or e-mail her. There was no hard sell on her part and no overly impassioned plea for their participation, only the statement that she was there to help if they needed it.

      “Let me end with this thought,” she said, looking at the final screen, a picture of a little girl holding her older brother’s hand, both of them so pitifully sad that Zack felt a sting of tears behind his eyes. “When you think of the overwhelming need…when you know it’s more than you can possibly handle…you will be right.”

      She’d read his mind. He didn’t want to fail kids like these, but what could he do, outside of writing that check?

      “You can do more than you think you can.” She paused as if she searched for the right words to bring her message home. “Remember that something is better than nothing. The one smile, the one look of recognition, the one kind word you give to a child may be the only one he receives today.”

      Zack hated to believe that was true, but if it hadn’t been for his mom’s smiles and encouragement, he could have been just as sad as the kids on the screen. Would he have had the courage to achieve what he had?

      His mom wiped tears from her cheeks.

      Chloe was good. Really good. She had him wondering how he interacted with kids in his life. Did he ignore them while he talked to their parents? Did he ever kneel to meet their eyes?

      And she had him wondering about her as more than a conference speaker. How could a guy help but admire a woman like her? Was she single? With all that world travel, she might be.

      How was he going to meet her? He was terrible at making the first move. If his mother so much as sniffed at his interest, she’d make it for him, he’d be embarrassed, and his chance to know this cool woman would be over. It might be awkward, but he had to make that first move.

       Chapter Three

       T he house lights came up, and Chloe invited them to look through their packets. “There are plenty of ideas on how you can love the children in your own community. If you want the experience of serving in other countries, there’s information about short mission options and extended opportunities.”

      She continued, raising her voice to accommodate the rustling sound of conferees looking through their packets. Zack watched his mother dig through hers. If she wanted to love children at one of those foreign locations Chloe had mentioned, he would gladly pay her way.

      His best friend, Collin Brennan, an anesthesiologist, had mentioned a medical missionary trip. Collin’s wife was a nurse, and Zack could provide the surgical skills. Zack hadn’t paid much attention before, but it certainly was a possibility. Collin could put the kids to sleep while Zack used his scalpel to help them, but didn’t it make more sense to fly them to the U.S. where they could get first-class care?

      Toward the end of question-and-answer period, his mother raised her hand. Chloe nodded, giving his mom the floor.

      “Ms. Kilgannon, thank you for…”

      Chloe looked at his mother, saw him and did a visible double take. She knew him. There was no doubt about that.

      Was that good…or really, really bad? He nodded, which seemed like the right thing to do even if he didn’t have a clue when or where they’d met.

      With a shadow of a smile, she nodded back and focused again on his mom. “Excuse me, could you repeat the question? I’m afraid I wasn’t paying attention because I just noticed the very nice man you’re sitting next to.”

      Mom looked at him with shock. “Zack? You know Chloe Kilgannon?”

      “A couple of weeks ago,” Chloe said, “a friend had asked me to do my act as Flower the Clown at the hospital.

      “This man is a doctor who was on the pediatrics floor to check on a patient. Since he seemed like a very kind man with an excellent sense of humor, Flower— not me —took advantage of his goodwill and drew him into the act.”

      The crowd responded with “ooh’s” of understanding.

      Chloe looked down at Zack and saw that he’d put it together. His smile, so big and wide, made her wobble in her new high heels. “I’m telling you this because what he did that day is a perfect example of loving children, face to face. Just by playing along and helping the children forget how sick they were, he made a difference.”

      She glanced back at Zack and was surprised that he looked at her with amazement. Hadn’t he realized that he’d done a good thing?

      “Did he want to be the subject of Flower’s silliness? Probably not! But he left his comfort zone to do something good for the kids. Wasn’t that great?”

      All over the room people nodded and some applauded.

      “I hope you’ll let me know when you’ve experienced new ways of showing children they are loved. You’ll feel so good about it, and so will I. Thank you for being a great audience.”

      As Chloe stepped away from the podium, the audience rose to their feet and applauded. The workshop moderator hugged Chloe, and that was it. Her first presentation was over.

      People gathered around her for more questions, and she lost sight of Zack. Her disappointment was as keen as a child who’d watched her pretty balloon float away, but she had to focus on the people who wanted to talk to her.

      Finally the moderator interceded and sent everyone to lunch. The crowd thinned, and there was Zack, his arms crossed and that great smile on his face. He came toward her with an outstretched hand. “Hi, Chloe. It’s nice to meet you as yourself.”

      Though she’d just shaken dozens of hands, the touch of his hand sent a little shiver of excitement up her spine. “I should confess, when we met in the hospital elevator, I did know who you were. My sisters had pointed you out at Collin Brennan’s wedding.”

      “You were there? I sat with your family, but—”

      “I was at the children’s table, keeping them entertained as Flower.”

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