Hey, you.  Yea, you.  I see you.  Beneath that tired skin. Behind that tough exterior.  Beyond that quiet disposition.  I see you.  And isn’t that all that we sometimes really need?  To be seen.  To be noticed.  To be appreciated and recognized for who we are and what we have accomplished?I see you.  You, as a child, beaming with your latest achievement- a trophy, an art project, a fort, a catch, a cake, a performance.  I see you wanting to be noticed.

You, as an adolescent.  A bit lost, a bit frustrated, a bit confused.  Wanting to hide and yet still wanting to be appreciated for who you are in that moment and for who you are becoming.

I see you, now.  Evolving.  Grappling with change, with transition.  With responsibilities.  With their needs, as well as your own.  Who are you anymore separate of them?  Where are you going?  What do you really want?  Is this it?  Is there more?

I see you.  Do you see you?  Do they see you?

Be seen.  Be heard.  Show yourself because you, YOU are amazing.  You have something really special to offer.

And if they don’t see you. . . .then, see them.  Celebrate them for them.  Find their goodness, their talents and tell them.  Tell them what you love about them.

Chances are, they just want to be noticed, too.  Chances are, they’ve just been hardened by a life in which they’ve felt invisible.

You aren’t invisible.  You are seen.  You matter.  They matter.

And in the end, we all matter.

So see.

And be seen.

It’s all that really matters.