Isn't it Obvious?

I receive weekly stories from the L'Arche community - here is one that touched my heart:

"I visited Ukraine with my friend Joe. In the children's ward of a large institution for people suffering from intellectual disabilities and mental illness, a hyperactive boy around six years of age was running about the room from one activity to another. When he saw us, he ran headlong into the open arms of Joe, who held him a second and then stooped down to hear what he wanted to say. "I'm a beautiful guy!" he said. Joe then asked him through the translator, "How do you know that's true?" Without missing a beat, the boy responded, "Can't you see? It's obvious!" Living, as I have for the past thirty-five years, with people with intellectual disabilities, I've been learning from them what it means to have a high HQ (heart quotient). It has to do with looking for signs that we are loved, even if we have to ask, then embracing those who love us in a long embrace, and finally claiming that we are, in all truth, beautiful. Isn't it obvious? "

by Sr. Sue Mosteller, L'Arche Daybreak and Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust