Vicarious Pain

I arrived on the scene seconds after it happened. Maggie was in tears. I did a quick sweep of the surroundings and discovered a rubber band laying at her feet. Like a CSI agent I came to a reasonable and cleaver story for her current state. Aha! While playing with the rubber band she snapped herself. I figured she wasn't in any real pain but had just made a painful discovery. So I picked up the rubber band and snapped my finger to show her some pain is just a part of life. To my surprise greater tears weld up in her eyes. I guess this was vicarious pain she was feeling. A few hours later I repeated the experiment for my sister and sure enough it produced an immediate and powerful tearful response. I thought that was pretty amazing and cruel on my part but I just couldn't believe it. Wow! It was a marvelous reminder of the trust God gives parents. I really hope I use it wisely.

the day after the experiment

She still loves her cruel Dad.

Grandpa's cowboy hat

Maggie's big blue tears