On Giving

Today, I get to give to someone who has given to me repeatedly. Someone who is virtually a stranger to me in this big ole world, but yet stranger she is not. Each day, I go into the local gas station and get my cherry slush, and each day, I am greeted with her voice calling, "Good morning, Beautiful!" and no matter the day, the weather, the mood, I simply smile...can't help it. It just comes. Every morning, she gives me a smile; a cheerful start to my otherwise dreary (as of late) mornings. And everything is better after a smile because someone called you beautiful, no? I think yes.

Lately, she's been gone. Not working. Not there to greet me. And you know what? I quit going in and getting those sugar-filled drinks I don't need anyways. My days have not started the same way, and I miss my friend, the friend who made me smile every morning, the friend who, no matter what, always was cheerful...the way I strive to be and sometimes don't quite make.

I'm excited today to be able to see this friend after a month of no contact. Oh, how I miss her! I was thinking on the way to town this morning that I want to ask her about her family, about her brothers and sisters, about her children and does she have grandchildren? I think I need to know! I want to tell her about my kids, and make friends with her in a more real way than a smile each morning at the gas station. I'm really super excited to do this, did you know? :)

Here's the part about giving I was going to talk about: receiving is also giving a gift. It is giving a gift to those who love you and want to do something for you, to make your day better, to help you out, to give YOU a smile, and Brenda did not hesitate to give me that gift when I spoke with her. Immediately, I got directions to her house, and her order for breakfast, with no argument. It doesn't get any easier than that, does it!? (I just hope I can find her house!) I am so stinking excited to walk in, hand her her egg biscuit, and give her a hug and call her beautiful that I'm like a kid at Christmas, waiting until the exact moment that I can open a present. This will be the first in a line of many gifts I will receive from Brenda because I will be going to visit her often...as often as I can, and helping her any way I can, with a smile upon my face, because I believe that's what God put us here to do: to help and uplive our neighbors as we would like to be helped and uplifted ourselves.

Brenda won't be returning back to work for a long time, if ever. She was just diagnosed with cancer in several parts of her body plus leukemia. (I probably spelled that wrong.) It's been there a while, but it became not-ignorable about a month ago, and she learned all of that information at once, when she went to the ER thinking she had the flu or some such annoying germ. When she told me all of this, while she was at work, she had a smile on her face and told me just as if she was telling me it is supposed to rain on Thursday but clear off and be a beautiful day on Friday. I hope I can act like that in times of distress, be that peaceful, lean on my God in that way, and show others that I believe that God really is in control and will take care of us as only He can do.

So the moral of the story is that when someone wants to do something nice for you, or to help you, don't argue; let them do it, and tell them thank you, because, after all, you don't want to steal the joy that comes from helping away from them, now, do you? I thought not.

Smile at someone today, be kind to a stranger, for you never know when that stranger may need it more than you could imagine...and it may come right back around and bless YOU in the end.

Happy Thursday!