Goodness

This week I have been showered with gifts of goodness, grace, and kindness from lots of directions, and I have to admit that the joy of receiving them has been a salve to my heart this week. This good sweetness has come in lots of forms and through many types of delivery systems. Some were from people who know and love us.  This week, Karl and I were showered with lavish generosity from our mainland church body.  Though I’ve written to tell them thank you, I am certain that they have no idea how much their generosity and good support has bouyed me up. A call to check on me and tell me she loved me from my sweet ‘bonus daughter’, a long conversation and heartfelt offer for help from the daughter I birthed, a box in the mail full of wonderful goodies from my sister, an afternoon out to the movies with new friends from church.  Those reminders that I am thought about and important and loved has gone a long way this week.  But then there are the other little gifts that came from more random sources: a lady at the FEMA office recognized me and remembered my name, though I’m certain she’s dealt with hundreds of people in the month since I last saw her.   Several quick conversations with perfect strangers have also been a gift this week. I shared my bug spray and a smile with a couple at Jazz in the Park, had a chat with some ladies while in line at the post office,  had a car stop and wait for me to go first though it wan’t my turn.  Looking someone who is different from me in the eye and taking a minute to cherish the connection is sweet.   Being recognized, being important enough to have your name remembered is a gift that costs nothing but is worth much. Other random goodness hasn’t come from people at all.  Watching a hawk soar just because he can, taking a moment to watch the antics of an anole (like a gecko only cuter), having my hibiscus plant flower.  Yes.

We are told often that we need to see the big picture and that we need to be global in our thinking.  Well, right now the globe is too big for me to take on.  I’ll stick with little slivers of my world that are beautiful and gentle and that promote calm and peace.  I will hold on for dear life to the tiny acts of goodness and grace and kindness and joyous surprise that get me through each day.