“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” – Anne Lamott
I’ve been doing a lot of spring cleaning. Organizing closets, clearing clutter, creating space. This past weekend, I put my lawnmower on the curb to give it away. It works but it’s old so I got a new one that’s easier to push. Less than a day, gone. Then some chairs on the curb the next day, again gone. My plans were to take it all to the dump, to discard them. I’m glad I didn’t follow my plans.
Today was a long day due to a chest cold and a sleepless night. After a day filled with meetings, I came home to cut the grass with my new lawnmower before the rain came. Next up, collapse on the couch to rest. Then, a knock on the door. My first thought, “great” a solicitor selling something I don’t need. Glad I didn’t go with my second thought not to answer the door.
A smiling woman was standing there holding a bag of coffee and a note attached in case I wasn’t home. She handed the coffee over and said she was the neighbor and thanked me for the lawn mower. Something I was happy to get rid of turned out to be something someone was happy to get.
People cross our paths every day. We never really know what we miss when we let them pass by without slowing down long enough to look them in the eye, greet them with a warm smile or take the time to say a simple thanks.
It’s a big world filled with little interactions that can turn a long day into one of grace. And when we interrupt the nonsense of busyness, multi-tasking and self-absorption, we discover, yet again, how blessed we are and our blessings multiple by sharing them.
So the good news is that we don’t really know. And thank goodness that our assumptions and quick judgments are wrong. And when we are fortunate enough to be reminded and awakened, we realize that we really don’t need to know. Kindness, generosity and grace never, ever fail.
Like this:
Like Loading...
