At the hospital gift shop this week, looking for something to entertain Mona and myself, I was thrilled to see that the children’s items (dolls, baby shoes, books, etc.) featured images of children with a variety of skin tones and hair and eye colors. Those of you who know me will know that I was really glad to see this.

Now, I try to live in reality when I am able to, and although I briefly had thoughts of writing an eloquent letter to the gift shop staff, thanking them for choosing merchandise that reflected ALL of the children in the community they serve. But letters like that so often don’t get written, so instead, I made a point of saying something as I was making my purchase. It was something simple, like, “I just want you to know that I really appreciate the fact that you have merchandise in your store that represents children of all ethnicities. I really appreciate that.” Or maybe I said, “It really means a lot to me” . . . or maybe I just rambled–but no, I think they got the message. The woman at the counter told me that the buyer (the shop is entirely volunteer-run!) was in that day and that she would pass on the message to her.

So it was just a tiny little thing, but I’m thinking that, one tiny little thing at a time, we can begin to make a difference in this world.

And ask me how much I LOVE these shoes: