Homebodies - A spot of colour…
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- Published on Saturday, January 30, 2016
By Rita Friesen
The Neepawa Banner
How wonderfully refreshing is an unexpected gift! The week past, three women stopped by, bringing coffee and a beautiful spring floral arrangement. The deep purple tulips, yellow daisies and sundry soft pink and lavender flowers surround an angel of caring.
Seeing it centered on the dining room table fills my heart with gladness and calms my spirit. It reminds me of an surprising visitor at the door last year. Holding a soothing and tranquil bouquet, stood a woman from a town just down the road. Her opening words were – you don’t know me but…words that put me at ease for, indeed, I did not know her. She had become aware of the death of my beloved and being a regular reader of these humble thoughts I openly share, wanted to show her support. It is impossible to count or recount how these tokens of appreciation and support have moved me.
Got me thinking, always dangerous! And I wondered how many times a thought of showing someone kindness has flitted through my head and stayed at just a thought. So many people here and now and long ago and far away have blessed me with a kind word or gentle action. Did I remember to write a thank you note? How many minutes does it take to write a short letter expressing appreciation for the influence and example set? Do I/we take the time to see the blessings of the day? The ads at Christmas about aged parents feigning divorce or even death just so the ‘kids’ come home for the holiday speak volumes. Feelings of loneliness and being neglected and abandoned can run rampant all year long, not simply at times of festivity. Along the same line is the thought of sending flowers while the recipient can enjoy them, not waiting until the posies are one more arrangement at a funeral service. So thankful for the spontaneous gifts of flowers that cheered me and my home!
What would happen if I/we took a few minutes and expressed our appreciation to a fellow earth dweller? Who do I/we know that could do with a friendly letter, a phone call, or a posy? Picture the dark of night filled with shooting stars. Flashes of brilliance that create a sense of awe and wonder. Most of us wonder if our life makes much of a difference. It does. Every person has a story. For me, it all comes back to the message of ‘A New Creed’, of the United church of Canada. It begins with ‘We are not alone, we live in God’s world.’ And the concluding lines state ‘ We are not alone. Thanks be to God.’ For me, that tells me that from beginning to end, we need the assurance that we are not alone. And for times when God, the Creator of all life, seems far away, we need the warmth of another human’s thoughts and actions to dispel the feeling of aloneness. Thanks be to God.
