And then...

For most of us, life is a series of cycles. We get up, make breakfast, feed the pets, go to work, eat lunch, work some more, go home, watch Family Feud while grinding on a salad 'n' steak, and watch television while alternately dozing and laughing over something on a situation comedy (or the news).

And then, we go to sleep, have bizarre dreams concerning falling out of tall buildings, and being called upon to solve a math problem at the blackboard while not wearing any pants, and get up to go all over again. 52 weeks a year, 5 days a week, 40 years of work, minus two weeks every summer at Loon Lake: you're going to lather, rinse and repeat that cycle 10,000 times.

So life has a way of cutting past the monotony and sending little rewards to us. People are capable of such love, such goodness, that it stands out.  

Like the time a friend of mine drove over 50 miles early one summer morning just to be there for me for my mother's viewing and funeral.  At such a time, as many of you know, sadness whirls past us like a morbid merry-go-round spinning out of control, and one person showing up with a kind hug and comforting word means more to the heart than one's words can convey.

Or, like what happened in a restaurant the other night. A woman surrounded by others are her table was being drowned out by rabid political talk. She wanted to express her concerns about human rights, education, the environment, but was shut down at every turn. Her feelings and intentions ignored, she finally said, "I’ll discuss this when you listen to my WHY," only to be shut down by a man who had been part of the rabble saying, "I want to eat my dinner. I don’t want to listen to your politics anymore."

Another woman dining there that evening heard all this, and when she went to the restroom, she jotted these words on the back of a slip of paper: "The WHY matters and I hear you. – an Environmental Science teacher."  She slipped the note to the lady who had been so unfairly treated by the galoots she dined with, and went back to her supper.

On her way out, the woman stopped and hugged that teacher.  

It's in the moments like those that we see the strength of character that gives some of us the boost we need to get over the bridges and hurdles that life, and some of our companions, put in our place. I'm certain that lady went home knowing that, no matter what else, someone is out there for her, someone is listening, someone is giving her the respect everyone deserves. The gift of confidence is like no other.

What a gift, what a grace note, what a blessing!

I'll never in a million years tell you any names.  And I don't think you're surprised at all to find that the same angelic woman is responsible for both of these kindnesses (and thousands more!)