Dear Friends,
I hope that this post finds each of you happy and well. Each day's challenges presents us with an opportunity to practice gratitude. What are you thankful for? What have you been blessed with?
These are hard questions sometimes to answer. Most of the time, we complain about what we "don't have." We forget about the things that we do have and how honored we should be to have these gifts. Whether it is the gift of health, finances, material possessions, love, a career, etc. We forget about the fact that we have something at least to complain about. Now, I am not saying that we are always negative and grasping for the next best thing. What I am saying is that we need to stop and look around to figure ouf what we have in our own "blessings bucket" that we should be thankful for.
I, for one, am thankful to each and every one of you -- even those who are negative. The reason that I am thankful is because each of you are willing to allow me to share a small sliver of your lives. This openness is a fine gift that I treasure. I am also thankful for my friends and family. As many of you know, I have a new nephew. When I look at him, I see all of the possibilities that life has to offer. I am thankful for my health and well-being. When so many folks struggle everyday to do the basic physical scenarios, I am thankful for having the health and well-being that allows me mobility, sight, hearing, etc. I thank GOD for all that I have. Without HIM, I am nothing.
What's in your "blessings bucket" today that you treasure? Are you grateful for what's in the bucket? How do you show your gratitude? Remember, sometimes folks don't appreciate what they have until it is gone. Don't let this happen to you. Be grateful for every challenge, gift, friend, enemy, burst of laughter, and tear that is shed. Don't look at all situations as "I don't have." Look at each situation as "I have." By tallying up the "haves," you will surely understand what you have been blessed with.
The next step is being able to share your blessings with others. This does not have to be a material scenario. You can share your humor and spirit with those around you. A smile does not cost a dime -- neither does a kind word. The smile and kind word that you share with someone may be the one thing that helps put him/her back on track. For all you know, this person may be one step away from giving up on life and needing that one last chance to see what is good in the world.
I want to share something with each of you that happened to me last summer. I was in a church in Florida waiting for the priest to come in to provide confession. The priest was late and there were three of us in the church waiting for his arrival. One of the folks there was a simply dressed young man with a backpack. While waiting, we started to chat. I found out that he had relocated from New Orleans after Katrina. He lost everything he had. He heard that there were jobs in Florida and hitched his way over. He held down 3 part-time jobs and was struggling to get by. As a carpenter, he was able to do some odd jobs, but nothing steady. He also had a job in a restaurant doing "whatever is needed" to earn himself a meal. He used his employment upon occasion to get a room at a short stay hotel whenever he could. He considered this a luxury because he could get a hot shower every day if he was in the hotel. Otherwise, he was in a shelter most of the time. This meant a cold shower at best. You guessed it -- he was usually in a shelter or on the street most of the time. Yes, he was one of the working poor struggling with homelessness.
While we were chatting, he mentioned that he did not want to be late for his job at the restaurant and hoped that the priest would arrive soon. Although he was simply dressed, he also mentioned that he really wanted a hot shower at the "Y" before he had to go to work. Showers at the Y were $10. He asked if I would be willing to provide him with the money for a shower. At this point, I reached into my wallet and provided him with the only $5 bill I had. When I looked, I only had a $5 and 3 $20 bills. I gave him the $5, and he was estatic! He stated that he would be able to most likely pick up the remaining $5 by completing his shift at the restaurant.
We continued to chat. This young man stated that it was the first time in two weeks that someone had actually looked him in the eye and offered him a hug along with some kind words. Personally, he looked like he really needed a hug. I noticed sometime later that he was amazing clean for someone who was homeless. There was no dirt or odor around him. If anything, he smelled sweet like a baby. Don't get me wrong. I am able to spot a fraud a mile away. However, there was something special about this young man. I silently asked God to show me what was different about this young man.
The priest finally arrived for confessions. The first person went in and the young man and I continued to chat. While we were concluding our chat, I made a deal with him, I told him that I would fund his shower if he would provide one meal for three homeless folks. Because he had access to food, I felt that this was a fair trade. He instantly said yes. I looked back down into my wallet and suddenly found that I had another $5 bill along with a $10 bill in addtion to the 3 $20 bills. Whoa! This is not what was in there before. My eyes are old, but not that old. I gave him the money, and wished him well. Luckily, it was his turn for confession. When he finished up, he came back by to thank me and told me that God will bless me. As I turned to go into the confessional, I turned to wave goodbye. Well, much to my surprise, he had disappeared!! The church that we were in was a very old church with heavy wooden doors that made a horrible racket when opened or closed. The other person in the narthex with me asked me if I had seen the young man that was there earlier. He wanted to give him some money for a shower as well. Needless to say, we did not hear or see the doors open. There was no one in the closed sanctuary of the church either. Like I said, he vanished into thin air.
The other individual ran outside in the hopes of catching a glimpse of this young man. The area we were in was wide open with no place to hide or be obstructed. The young man was nowhere to be found. The street was deserted. Even the priest asked us about this young man. He said that this young man was very special and asked us what we had done for him while we were around him. Apparently, he had told the priest about my giving him money for a shower and providing him with kindly support and a welcome ear. He also had told the priest about our deal -- that he would provide a free meal to 3 other homeless folks. When we told the priest that he had disappeared, the priest smiled and went back into the confessional. He did not say a word. We were puzzled, but accepting.
During the sermon, I realized that this priest knew that this guy was some sort of angel. That's why he did not encourage us to continue to look for the young man. He made sure that we understood that we would be blessed because we shared what we had with someone who did not have anything.
Everyday I wake up, I thank God for all that I have. This includes you my dear friends. I learned a very valuable lesson. You never know who is around you or what their lesson is for you. I learned from this young man that it is OK to share yourself with a stranger and provide a welcome ear and a smile. I learned that sometimes God tests us to find out what we are worth and if we are worthy of the blessings he provides. I also learned that sharing will increase your blessings. Remember the part of the story where there was additional money? I know exactly how much I had walking into the church. I checked while in the car to make sure that I had enough money for the offering. When I shared my first $5 with the young man, somehow I found an additional $15 in my wallet that I also gave to this young man. I can't explain it and I won't even try to. All I can say is that you are blessed when you provide some of your blessings to others.
Promise me that you will count your blessings every day. Be in the moment and know that you are blessed. Don't allow negativity to cloud your view. For you are blessed!!!
Many blessings!
Orielia Valley