Happy Thanksgiving to one and all, and thank
you for reading my blog.
I have recently been inspired by my
family and friends to write a little more, and for their support, I am truly
grateful.
There is so much to be grateful for
this Thanksgiving season. For starters, if you are reading this, you are alive.
I once attended a conference where
the topic was being grateful for our wayward teens. The leader of the
conference, who understood the frustration we lived with each day, said
something I will never forget: "Just be grateful that your child breathes,
even if that is the only thing you can be grateful for because the alternative
is that they would be dead." From that day forward, I began to view my
teen differently.
During that conference, they gave us
time to go out and perform random acts of kindness, and then report back that
evening. I must admit, at first, I had no idea what I was going to do. However,
by the end of the day, I had been transformed by how simple acts of kindness
not only affected those I helped but also touched my heart to its core.
I left the facility not knowing what
I would do or where I would go. Eventually, I decided to go into a Wendy’s and
buy someone’s lunch. I noticed an elderly woman with a young boy, around the
age of 10, at the counter getting ready to pay. I rushed to the counter and
asked if I could pay for their meal. At first, they said no, but they finally
agreed. I sat down with them and asked about their day. This is what I learned:
The young boy was celebrating his birthday, and his grandmother was taking him
to Walmart to buy a video game with the $10 he had received as a gift. She told
me she lived in a nearby trailer court, her husband of 55 years had recently
passed away, and the boy’s parents were drug addicts who were nowhere to be
found. As I listened to their story, I began to weep. My heart went out to
them.
We talked for nearly an hour. As I
listened, my heart grew with compassion and empathy. When it was time for them
to leave, I offered to accompany them to Walmart and help select a game. As I
suspected, the games were closer to $50 each. I ended up buying two games for
the young boy and suggested he save his $10 for college. We were all crying by
the end, and I left feeling as though I had truly touched their lives.
As I drove away, I noticed a
self-serve car wash and decided to pay for the next customer. After about 10
minutes, a large, muddy pickup truck pulled in, and out stepped an elderly man.
I approached him and offered to pay for and wash his truck. Initially, he
refused, but after some persuasion, he agreed. As I washed his truck, we struck
up a conversation. He told me he was 86 years old, a widower for the past 10
years, and living out of his truck, traveling from trailer park to trailer
park. He hadn’t seen his three sons in eight years, as they were too busy with
their own lives. The man was visibly lonely, but as we talked, he seemed happy
just to have someone to share his story with.
It took me nearly two hours to wash
and dry his truck. I worked slowly because I could tell he was enjoying our
conversation. By the time we said our goodbyes, I was deeply moved by his
story. I sat in my car and wept, then said a prayer for him before continuing
my mission of kindness.
Next, I visited a nursing home and
asked the receptionist if I could spend time with some of the residents. She
suggested I call numbers for their bingo game, which I gladly did. I tried to
make it fun, telling jokes and adding energy to the game. Afterward, I asked if
there was someone who hadn’t had a visitor in a long time. She mentioned an
elderly woman who hadn’t had a visitor in five years. When I met her, I
introduced myself and told her I was there to see her and let her know she had
not forgotten. Her face lit up with the biggest smile. We talked for nearly an
hour until it was time for her to go to dinner. As we parted, I gave her a big
hug and told her how much she meant to me. The receptionist, with tears in her
eyes, told me it was the sweetest thing she had seen in five years of working
there. Little did she know, I was the one who received the greatest gift of joy
that day.
That day will forever be etched in
my memory as one of the happiest of my life. For a brief time, it wasn’t about
me or my problems. I walked away with two guiding principles: “It’s not about
me,” and, “Love and serve others.”
This Thanksgiving season, I am
extremely grateful for the many blessings I receive each day. I encourage
everyone to experience the peace, happiness, and joy that come from random acts
of kindness.
May God bless you all. Know this:
God loves you, and He asks that you love yourself and then go out and love
others as yourself.
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