I've never been much of an auditory learner. When I was a student, even recently, I knew I really needed to see the printed words or pictures to help the subject matter sink in. I mean, I can hear, though I admit it's getting harder every day, but even as a child, I learned better when I could see what the teacher was delivering. It's not right or wrong, it's just the way I'm wired to learn...I'm a visual learner. What I see travels faster and processes faster in my brain than what I hear. At least that's the best way I can explain it. If you'd like to take a simple ten-question quiz to find out your learning preference, click on, Find Out Your Learning Style Preference. I took the quiz even though I knew what the outcome would be, and it stated, you are a very visual learner.

So imagine my delight a few years ago when I purchased my first smart phone and smiley faces were sometimes interspersed in the texts I received. I loved it...right away! The technical term for these emotional faces (just on the off chance that you don't have a smart phone or just don't know the name) is, emoji. Emoji means 'picture letter' in Japanese, and is the type of emoticon used on iphones, ipads, Androids, Windows phones and Macs. And when I learned, probably from my kids, that there was even an emoji keyboard to add to my smart phone that would enable me to speak with pictures, including all sorts of emotions, figures, plants and animals, I confess, I became the queen of smiley faces. It's probably a fair assessment to say that I use them with almost every text I send.

A few months back, though, I sadly figured out that one of my friends whom I texted frequently, and, who had a smart phone, didn't have the type of smart phone that could read emoji. What! Do you mean to say that for the past two years, I'd been sending her all kinds of emotional faces to help tell my story, and she wasn't getting them? She very kindly told me that everything was okay...she could feel my emotion through my words. Phew! But, all is okay now, as she just got a new phone and sends me my very own smiley faces now.

So I'm a visual learner. I think that's where I was going with this before. I love my eyes, and I treasure what I can see...every little thing. And I can feel so much from what I see. I'm definitely a people watcher; not in a strange way, but in a curious way. I like to watch peoples' actions, and then watch their faces to see their expressions. Except, sometimes I don't like the expressions that come my way.

Just yesterday while I was in the grocery store, there was a mother really snapping at her little boy. She was leaning forward toward him, and her words were too loud for public, and enunciated clearly enough for everyone around her to hear. Get over here and don't touch anything! She was just about spitting at him! I didn't know her or know anything about their situation, so I'm not judging, well maybe I am, but it was the little boy's expression that my eyes saw and wished I hadn't. It was shame. I could feel his shame and embarrassment, and I know he caught me looking.

There are other times, though, that my eyes catch something so powerful, and so good that I'm sure I'm downright rude with the amount of starring I do. Just the other night I attended the Holy Thursday Mass. There was a mix of people there, and I didn't know many of them because the parishioners from all masses came together at this one. There just so happened to be a giant sitting in the row in front of me. Really, a giant. I'm tall so I know giant when I see one. This man had to be seven feet tall with a huge frame to go along with his height. Being a giant alone wasn't the interesting part, but watching him interact with the littlest person in his family was. There were a number of people in his family, and he was on the very left of them on the aisle. Several times I noticed him motioning past the whole line of them to very end...to the toddler. He was demonstrating how to make the sign of the cross. I didn't want it to be apparent that I was more interested in this man than in the mass, so I almost got eye strain moving my eyes back and forth from the very left to the very right. I wanted to watch the toddler try to do what her father was teaching. But his actions didn't stop there, and I couldn't stop my eyes from taking it all in. After receiving Communion, he didn't kneel like all others. Perhaps he didn't fit on the kneeler, but he remained standing with his hands over his eyes, clearly moved, clearly aware that he was in the presence of the Lord, and all I could do was stare.

Did I learn from him? Did my silver learn? I certainly did. I could feel his pain in remembering what Jesus did for us on the following day, Good Friday. I could feel his respect as he moved to the aisle and fell to his knees when the Communion line passed, and I was able to witness him fathering, yet again, after we moved from the church to the hall where the Holy Eucharist was moved. Because he sat in front of me, I was able to follow him to the hall. He carried his toddler all the way to the hall, and then placed her ever so gently right next to him, coaxing her to her knees to do like him. He demonstrated the sign of the cross again to his little girl, and I stood, mesmerized, by his fatherly actions. I learned from this giant of a man, definitely.

Was this my visual learning style in action? I think so. All of this man's acknowledgement of what Jesus did for him was evident in his actions. I've been taught the story of Jesus' death and what He has done for you and for me 51 times, and it's made me who I am today, but this year I learned it from a giant...from a man whose tender heart was carried on the outside for me to see, and I'm so thankful my eyes had the opportunity.

My wish for you this Blessed Easter? To also have the opportunity to witness and learn from others loving Jesus. May the impact of others' loving actions help you to realize your own loving way toward those in your life. Happy Easter.

The Silver Side of Life