Day #28 – Roll Up My Sleeves? Yesss!

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Saturday, March 21, 2015

My A Year of Being Kind t-shirt!

Day #28 – Roll Up My Sleeves? Yesss!

When I read the #40acts post for today, I couldn’t have been more pleased. This blog post was right up my alley. I don’t know if you know, but I am intimately acquainted with this idea. I wrote a daily blog in 2014 called A Year of Being Kind: 365 Days of Service.

In this blog, I tried to focus on being kind, being helpful, and being of service. In most blog entries, I tried to write about how I tried to be kind. Each Friday, I focused on someone else being helpful or of service. (Yes, a Focus Friday!) I was successful in writing every day in 2014. What a wonderful offering to God! And, what an opportunity to show my friends, family, church, and strangers that God loved them, too. (I am still highlighting my Being Kind posts, at ayearofbeingkind.wordpress.com . )

Yes, I immediately connected with #40acts back in February, when I saw that they were offering the opportunity for people to do 40 acts of generosity and kindness. When #40acts asked people to think about how much they could affect their neighborhood, their church, their friends, their workplace, their school. This is a marvelous chance to truly change the world! One generous, kind act at a time.

Practical generosity. The kind that gets things done, one act at a time. One day at a time.

Before I even saw today’s suggestion for Day #28, I saw an older woman trying to open a door at a coffee shop, later last night. The woman had mobility issues, difficulty with her feet, and walked with a cane. Without even thinking about it, I held the door open for her. (Second nature, I suppose.) I smiled at her with my friendly, cheerful expression, and waited for her to slowly make her way through the doorway.

After getting my coffee, I proceeded out the other way. I saw the older woman again, near the bathroom. She had dropped one of her gloves, and was trying to scoot it up the wall with her cane. (She had difficulty bending over.) She wasn’t doing very well, and I could see her start to get frustrated. I stooped to get the glove and gave it to her on my way out. She was so grateful!

I don’t mean to pat myself on the back, but that is typical of what I often do. I help people. I’m often kind and of service. Of course, having the spiritual gifts of helps, mercy, discernment and spiritual nurture makes it easier. (Note I did not say “easy!” No. Just easier.) I wonder how much I have affected the world? The world? Nah!! Too grandiose. My neighborhood is enough for me.

God willing, I can express God’s love. And I can preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, I can even use words. Thank You, Lord!

@chaplaineliza

Like what you read? Disagree? Share your thoughts with your loved ones and continue the conversation.

(Check out #40acts; doing Lent generously at www.40acts.org.uk )

Why not visit my sister blogs, “the best of” A Year of Being Kind.  I also have Being Kind t-shirts at my blogs, too. @chaplaineliza And read #40acts sermons from Pastor, Preacher Pray-er .

Day #17 – Buy One, Get One Free? Except When I Forget . . .

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Monday, March 9, 2015

Day #17 – Buy One, Get One Free? Except When I Forget . . .

I read today’s post with the suggestion for the day before I left the house this morning. I really did. And then, I promptly forgot it.

I did have some other things on my mind today, though. I needed to bring the car in to the car dealer for some maintenance. (With the help of the dealer, I actually caught one of the local car repair places in some shady business dealings—but I’m not posting about that right now.)

Hindsight is so often 20/20. Looking back over the day, I ordered and went through a coffee shop’s drive-through window. I could have paid for the person behind me! Simple enough. But, no. I completely forgot about today’s generous suggestion . . .

One wonderful thing about today? It was the first beautiful day of the year! Sunny, almost fifty degrees, soft breeze. The outside air felt almost like spring. I was so happy to be out and about, driving to the office from the car dealership.

As I stopped to pay for my coffee, I spoke with the employee. Young man, tall, curly haired. Pleasant looking, friendly to talk to. I struck up a conversation. He acknowledged that the weather outside was, indeed, beautiful! But, he seemed down in the dumps after he said that. I asked him what was the matter. (Just as I’d ask a sad parishioner what was the matter.) He hesitated, and then I think he saw I was truly interested in his response.

“Oh, work. I just work all day, and then go home. Go to bed, and get up in the morning. And then it starts all over again.” His face fell. He really seemed sad, almost resigned to his fate.

I looked at him and smiled gently in response. “I’m sorry you feel that way. Do you feel like that a lot?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Except I do get to talk to people in this job. A lot of people. That’s okay.”

“That sounds great! You have the opportunity to give them smiles. Say ‘good morning,’ or ‘good afternoon.’ Being cheerful and friendly could really help someone who is down or sad. Listening to someone can help, too.”

He looked closely at me. I could almost see the wheels turn in his mind. He thought about what I said as he gave me my coffee.

“Have a great day. Really and truly.” I waved as I got ready to drive away into the lovely afternoon. The young man’s face brightened. He smiled at me and waved back.

God, be with this young man. I honestly tried to encourage him. I hope it helped. Please, help him find a good opportunity, a good fit. Thanks, Lord!

@chaplaineliza

Like what you read? Disagree? Share your thoughts with your loved ones and continue the conversation.

(Check out #40acts; doing Lent generously at www.40acts.org.uk )

Why not visit my sister blogs, “the best of” A Year of Being Kind.   @chaplaineliza And read #40acts sermons from Pastor, Preacher Pray-er .

Day #4 – Surprise! A Day to Be Generous! Prayerfully.

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Saturday, February 21, 2015

Day #4 – Surprise! A Day to Be Generous! Prayerfully.

When I checked my email this morning before I left the house, I saw this generosity suggestion from #40acts. Hmm. I remember commenting to God—not specifically praying, mind you—“Gee, I wonder who I might be generous to, today?”

This suggestion is similar to times I blogged about in my daily blog last year, A Year of Being Kind (at wordpress.com). Many of the situations I saw as I looked over the kids’ 40acts calendar for Lent 2015 were similar, actually. I look upon that as a wonderful thing! Yes, I’ve done today’s particular generous, kind deed several times last year. Except, I sort-of, kind-of made it all up as I went along, last year.

This year, it is decidedly different. Being involved with 40acts and doing Lent generously this year gives me a sense of the unexpected. Not knowing what sort of generous, kind suggestion will come my way the next day. As in, today.

I went to my regularly scheduled yoga class at the YMCA this morning. (My teacher is marvelous! The attendance at her classes testify to that fact, too.) I grabbed two mandarin oranges from the bowl on the kitchen table as I went out the door. I ate one after yoga, while I changed in the locker room. The other? I gave away.

These were not just any old pieces of fruit. No, they were special, super-sweet mandarin oranges! Fantastic in flavor and texture. Absolutely perfect, in my opinion. And the woman I gave the orange to? A lovely employee at the Y. A member of the janitorial staff. Always cheerful, pleasant, with a friendly smile on her face. Which brightened and got even wider when I handed her the orange. She thanked me for the orange. I returned her bright smile. She and I exchanged a quick hug in the hallway, and that was that.

Except for the grace. The surprise. A spontaneous, kind, generous act. I’m so glad I thought of it as I left the locker room and happened to meet this lovely lady. I hope she felt special today, through something as small as an unexpected gift of a fantastic orange. God bless her, today and every day!

(Check out #40acts; doing Lent generously at www.40acts.org.uk )

Like what you read? Disagree? Share your thoughts with your loved ones and continue the conversation.

Why not visit my sister blog, “the best of” A Year of Being Kind.   @chaplaineliza