'You care'

Compliments don't usually go to my head, but I heard one tonight that touched pretty deeply.

My niece, Katie, asked me tonight if I'd be her sponsor for confirmation next spring. I asked her why she chose me, and she said, "Because you care." I asked her what she thinks I care about, and she rattled off a list... about church, about my family, about her.

That's some compliment, when you think about it. Never mind the fact she's asking me to help her on that personal journey from being a child in the Catholic church to being an adult. Just to hear someone recognize that you care is something undescribable. I often pray for the guidance to do the right thing and to follow the path God sets before me. To hear a 14-year-old say she notices it, that's wonderful. To hear her say she thinks that makes me suitable to help her, that's even better.

We all hear compliments each day. I liked your story. You look nice today. I appreciate how hard you work. You offer a different perspective on things. You liven things up around here. You get the idea. I'm not sure I'll ever hear a better one than "you care."