...my glory was I had such friends."
I received a "care package" in the mail today from someone I've known only via the Internet and a few snail-mailed notes. We share the Christian faith, a love for animals and our families, and some other stuff. He's a Brother in Christ and kinda like the brother I never had.
I have no idea how, when or where I communicated a pressing need, but somehow I did, unless Jim is psychic (maybe I should say " a prophet," since that has a more spiritual ring to it).
I did mention to him, very briefly in a recent email, that I'm looking for work "on the outside" again to supplement the income I'm making as a copywriter. I asked Jim to keep me in his prayers, since everybody and their brothers and sisters are looking for work, too, in what seems to be a jobless recovery.
We were simply swapping prayer requests, more or less... He was headed for critical eyesight-saving surgery; I was looking for additional, reliable income.
Business has dropped off precipitously at Elance the past couple of months despite continuing high ratings and the lower-than-average fees I charge when compared to most others Premier Providers. (Freelance writing is always feast or famine, and I haven't been able to stash sufficient savings yet to compensate for the famine part of the cycle.)
Anyway, Jim and his wife Kay sent me a "care package." It contained a considerable amount of cash, enough to put me in tears and create speechlessness (that's a miracle!). Jim says it's his Christian duty and pleasure to help, and his Southern upbringing wouldn't allow for anything less...
Now, this fellow is fighting physical maladies that would put most people into a blue funk, and here he is blessing the socks off others in their time of need! He reminds me so much of DeForest Kelley in this regard that it just floors me... While De was fighting for his life, he was continuing to bless others, left and right.
"You will know them by their love for each other." That's in the Bible, detailing how others would be able to recognize Christians.
Jim is just the most recent in a life-long line of fabulous friends, both related and unrelated. Whether it's emergency cash, a physical helping hand, a prayer sent heavenward, or a listening ear, I have always been blessed with some of the best friends on the planet.
Not long ago my friend Mary Jo helped me buy extra fuel and other supplies, including bottled water and treats for volunteers, so I could campaign my heart out for politicians and issues that we both supported in the recent election.
My sister, a lifelong conservative Republican, let me use her vehicle to get around to rallies and support candidates and issues that she would be voting against, because she loves me and knows that, although we disagree politcally, I'm not a Commie pinko Socialist and that I love my country every bit as much as she does.
I clip the claws of a cat that belongs to my nephew's mother and father in law (always for free because I love them and I love critters) and they spoil me frequently with movie tickets which are $10 a pop these days... allowing me to get away on many weekends and forget about my bank balance and other outstanding obligations for a little while.
There have been folks like this throughout my life... people who enlisted, without being asked, the moment they recognized a legitimate need.
I'm blessed. I hope and pray that I'm as much a blessing to others as they have always been to me... but it just doesn't seem possible.
Look around you. Consider the many times people, circumstances, miracles and "coincidences" have showed up when you most needed something -- whether it was a word, a hug, a few bucks, or just some hope.
That's the incarnate God, tucked away inside another human being. Give thanks and praise.
There's a lot of static in the world today but the underlying hum of God's love is always there. Take time to decompress and acknowledge it. I promise you'll feel a whole lot better!
I sure do tonight. Thank you, Jim and Kay... Mary Jo... Margot... Aunt Tod... Gerald and Johnnie White... Jackie and Laurel... Sue and George... Phil and Wendy... Bobbie and Joel... De and Carolyn... and all the rest who have had my back all of these years.
I'm back to speechless again... remembering it all.
No comments:
Post a Comment