Recently I was at the hospital for some lab work, and while I sat in the waiting room several people talked to me as each waited their turn.   The first lady was telling me about her kidney transplant, the second about his cancer and the third about her impending cesarean section.  I initiated only one of these...that last conversation by asking, “When are you due?”.   The other two people felt compelled to tell me about their troubles…..me…a total stranger. What a need they must have had to share their situation in life.I looked around at the other people waiting and wondered to myself, “What is their story?”  We all have one. And I thought about the movie Avatar.  In that movie, people would greet each other with the words, “I SEE you.”  By so doing, they were conveying a message eyeball to eyeball to the other person that they mattered.  They were valued.Do we really see each other?  How well do we know those people with whom we come in contact every day?  Do we even listen to them?  Do they matter?  Do we tell them that they are appreciated and valued?I know I don’t always take time to pay attention to those around me, even when they clearly are in need of attention.  I rush through my day trying to get everything done, and to get to the next place I have to be.  How easy it would be to at least give a cheerful, “Hello!” and thereby acknowledge them.  God often places people “on our doorstep” and we overlook them.  I am trying to be more aware of those people and be receptive to their needs.What a blessing it is to know that God does SEE us!    He knows our every thought, need, joy, pain, sorrow, concern.  He values us. We matter! He gave His only Son to die for us.   And he listens to our prayers and answers them according to His will.If we truly want to be “little Christs” to our neighbors we need to take time to SEE them, to acknowledge them, to listen to them, to appreciate them, to value them.