Getting Present

...through just a smile, a conversation, an acknowledgment, a listening ear.

I love the people I work with: the mothers on kitchen duty and their stories of triumph and defeat and rising again, the people in the office with their hopes and dreams and possibilities, my partners in all the many endeavors I'm involved in - with their realizations of their own frailties, and most importantly, their greatness.

I love the people I serve for being just that - people who I can love, and to whom I can show my love through my service. I get that service does not mean bending over backward or sacrificing painfully, but comes from a genuine and loving acknowledgment of their dignity, their humanity, their equality. Service, indeed, begins with a smile - and sometimes that's all that takes. I've been profoundly made present to how that alone makes a difference.

I love my family and friends for who they are, and for what I can see they can truly be.

I love my God for BEING who He is and who He wants me to BE. My future with Him in eternity is truly the most powerful future that could ever call anyone into being.

My friend Peter recently acknowledged me for being "peace, ease, and profound happiness." I get that; I'm present to all of that. May I continue to be present to all the gifts, especially the most precious gift of relationship, that the Lord continues to shower me with.

Praise God :-)