Several days ago, I needed to stop by a local grocery store and pick up a few forgotten items. That particular shopping center has clearly painted crosswalks and stop signs at the spot where most cars drive in from two directions. Thus, I found myself sitting with my brakes firmly applied while a small burst of shoppers entered and exited in front of me.

For whatever reason, two of the pedestrians caught my full attention. The first was an elderly woman who hobbled along, leaning into the stiff breeze, a look of concentration or sadness on her lovely face beneath her snowy hair. A few seconds later, a man, also advanced in years and crowned with white, slipped across the way before I gently eased forward and slid into a parking spot.

I thought about those fellow shoppers as I went in, through, out, and on my way again. I thought of how many Christmases they each have seen…and what types of things they each may have gone through on those Christmases, and even in this very season upon us.

And I wondered if either of them still have any family or friends left, or if either of them will spend this Christmas all alone. True, they are both complete strangers to me. But they are two precious encapsulations of wisdom, experience, and humanity.

That woman I saw may or may not be someone’s wife, mom, grandmother, aunt, or sister. But she is someone’s daughter. And that man I saw may or may not be someone’s husband, father, grandfather, uncle, or brother. But he is certainly someone’s son.

Jesus came into the world as a baby, and as a beloved song says, “The child, the child sleeping in the night: He will bring us goodness and light.” Jesus would not go on to marry or father human children. But He was a son and the Son. A child who would offer to fill hearts with goodness and light.

Therefore, the beauty of Christmas, the day now so often referred to as a holiday for children, is that it is for all of us–this invitation to be filled with His gifts. It doesn’t matter if we have married or not, nor if we have had children or not, nor if we have many or few friends and relatives (left) in our circle. The Savior still comes near to shine in us and on us and through us.

Because good is what He is and light is what He gives.

This week, as you shop for last minute items of your own, travel, or are otherwise out and about, please take the time to notice and show kindness to the people around you…especially those who have seen many Christmases or who appear to be toiling beneath a load of sorrow or loneliness. Be His goodness and His light to those you love and those you have never seen before.

And be blessed in knowing that when you bless another, the heart of that Baby beats in you.