Chances

Yesterday was a rest day. I think I rested a bit too much. My afternoon nap kept me awake until midnight. Thinking always thinking. So as I rose this morning at 6:30 AM (my routine), I drank my coffee settled into my readings and found the morning gloom hindered my focus on the readings. After my son added another blanket, I drifted quickly off to sleep. I awoke as the garden fairies, my brother and niece, arrived around 10 AM. We discussed garden plans for a drier tomorrow and I returned to my readings to search for meanings and get "into my mind."

God gives us different moments for our own good. I truly believe that. Today, I read about Lydia, the maker of purple cloth. How she was given the chance to be a refuge to some weary travelers. She embraced the chance to share her home. She felt a spirit about these gents. That spirit found a home not only within her home, but also in her heart. Think of the impact she would have on the various people she would encounter as she dealt her purple cloth. She, too, became a disciple of love that day because she was open to the moment.

Let's flip forward 2,000 years. When I think of Lydia, I think how in today's world can we be as receptive as she was? I have a few ideas: building shelters for the homeless, working soup kitchens, donating from you excess with no cost, see someone struggling at in the grocery line and offer help, and just being aware of your chances to shine a little light into your small corner of the world. My students and I called them random acts of kindness. No act is too small and those tiny acts can move mountains. This little 'Burg in which we live is made better each day by such acts as I have mentioned. Today's homework is to find your chance and embrace it.