There are many situations in which people are annoying, irritating, and exhausting.

Then there are times love for people is so overwhelming, it fills me to overflowing. I find myself appreciating people around me. Not just people I know, but the ones I briefly encounter through the day. On a recent lunch break, I looked around to intentionally notice as many people as I could. There was a woman with a toothless grin in the grocery store, laughing with two others in the midst of what seemed to be a potentially rough life. I stood behind the slow, grumpy guy I often encounter at the fountain machine at my favorite convenience store. His intentional routine made me smile.

I noticed sadness, hurrying, pensiveness, joy, and exhaustion. I noticed people needing help, people doing their jobs, people avoiding others.

I noticed people, and I loved them. I interacted with some but not everyone. I appreciated them and the fact that God crossed my path with theirs for a purpose that day.

Be patient today, and keep your eyes and ears attentive to people around you.