Somebody Loves You By: Joseph J. Mazzella

*When my children were young I used to read to them every
evening before bed. One of their favorite stories was called,
"Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch." Mr. Hatch was a lonely
man living a lonely life. He never smiled. He walked alone
to work everyday and ate his lunch alone in a corner. He
never talked to anyone on his way home either. In the evening
he would buy a newspaper, read it after supper, and go to
bed early.

His life changed, however, on Valentine’s Day when he got
a heart shaped box in the mail full of candy and a note that
said, "Somebody loves you." At first he couldn't believe it
but as he let the message sink in he began to laugh and
dance around. That single message had opened his heart
to the power of love. Soon he found himself sharing his smile
and laughter with others. He became a joy at work and began
to help out people in the neighborhood. As the days and weeks
went by his laughter, smiles, kindness, caring, happiness and
love touched the hearts of everyone in his community.

Later Mr. Hatch found out that the candy heart had been
delivered to him by mistake. He felt crushed and began
again to withdraw from the world. When his neighbors
found out, however, they were determined not to lose the
light he shared. They surprised him with a party and a huge
banner that read: "Everybody Loves Mr. Hatch." Mr. Hatch
cried when he realized that somebody loved him after all.
Then he laughed, smiled, and rejoined his friends.

I think that we all have a tiny bit of Mr. Hatch in us. At times
we all feel unloved and unlovable. Somebody does love us,
though. God loves us. He loves us with a powerful, unconditional,
and life-changing love and He wants us to love each other
as well. It is what we are here for. It is what we were meant
for. May the pages of your life story be full of love then.*